The Ruby Ritual
by Mzingalwa
Summary: Help Ruby Rose as she battles demons and tries to become the hero that she has always dreamed of being. (A mirror of my quest blog therubyritual on tumblr. If you want to view the story up to its latest update and send in prompts for what Ruby should do next go there. Cover artwork by rwbyshenanigans on tumblr. No prompts allowed on this site in accordance with the rules.)
1. Start to 0003

(For the full story up to the latest update go to therubyritual on tumblr. I wish I could post the URL here but sadly this website won't let me.)

* * *

Your name is Ruby Rose. You have just been kidnapped.

You're kind of embarrassed about the whole thing. After all you are a huntress, albeit one still in training, so getting blindsided by someone outside the ice-cream store is going to be a real black mark on your record if you don't manage to get out of this situation on your own.

Assuming you can get out of it at all.

You take a moment to review your situation. You are currently in the back of a moving van, and both your hands and your feet have been zip-tied together. You also feel kind of drowsy, so they might have drugged you with something after they knocked you out. Fortunately it seems that the "toxin resistance" part of your training is beginning to pay off, so you shouldn't worry about your movement being impaired once you get free. There's not much light, but you can see that there doesn't seem to be anything in here to help you cut yourself loose.

If you were to take a guess as to who abducted you it was probably some sort of demon summoning group, since statistically such groups are responsible for about three out of four abductions. Their ritual probably called for 'virgin blood', so they decided to grab the first young girl they saw, ignoring the fact that 'virgin blood' means blood that has never been used in a ritual (not that it actually matters since your blood would fulfil the requirement either way).

The van slows to a stop, and you hear the crunch of gravel as your kidnappers disembark. You only have a few seconds at best to think of a plan of action.

 **What do you do?**

Pretend to still be asleep

FIGHT! NEITHER MERCY NOR SURRENDER WILL BE ACCEPTED!

Act eager, as though being kidnapped and used for demonic sacrifice is the best thing that ever happened to you.

Lie. "I'm not a virgin so it won't work."

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0000. Please start all commands for this post with the number.**

* * *

 **0000**

 **0000: close your eyes. Imagine in great, vivid details, what you're going to do to your kidnappers once you're free. Motivated enough? Great. Now, open your eyes, and try to locate your weapon, count how many people are around you, and generally try to get as much info about your foe's weaknesses and strengths.**

You take a moment to imagine yourself kicking your kidnappers through a wall. The mental image gives you a warm fuzzy feeling in your belly.

Alas, you left Crescent Rose at home today. You didn't think that there would be a need to bring it with you for a five minute stroll to the shops. It wouldn't have helped you in your present situation since they would have confiscated it anyway, so the fact that your sweetheart isn't in the hands of some weirdo is actually quite comforting.

You resolve to keep a close eye out to look for any information that might help you.

 **0000: tug a lil on your ties. see if they're solid.**

You try to break out of the ties using force, but sadly they don't budge. They seem to be the type the police uses to restrain criminals, rather than the ones normally used for luggage, so breaking them is way harder.

Even if you did break out of them though, the only way out would be to fight off whoever opens that door. If you can get a weapon, even if it was just a small knife or something, you think you could take on anyone as long as they aren't trained in combat, but your hand-to-hand combat skills are nil. Maybe at some point you'll have to think about rectifying that.

The van door is opened and you finally get a glimpse of your captors. One of them is pretty unremarkable aside from the fact that his nose turns upwards in a way that makes him look like a pig, and you could probably have gotten away from him on his own even without a weapon, but you are 95% certain that the second guy is half ursa. Trying to get through him unarmed would end badly.

 **0000: lie, tell them yer not a virgin. This seems like the smartest course of action for now.**

"Uhh, guys? I hate to burst your bubble but if you're planning on using me as a virgin sacrifice or something its not gonna work because I'm… You know… Not one."

The two men momentarily freeze in their tracks, disbelief etched onto their faces, before the ursa lets out a bark of laughter.

"Nice try kid," He says. "But if we just needed a virgin we would have just used Paul here."

Piggy gives him a dirty look. "Hey man, she didn't need to know that."

Ursa shrugs. "Doesn't matter, she'll be dead in 15 minutes anyway." He grabs you and slings you unceremoniously over his shoulder. "The only requirement for the ritual sacrifice is that they're young, and you meet that unless you're secretly fifty years old."

You ignore him and take note of the fact that you are currently at the docks. The area around you appears to be deserted so calling for help is unlikely to do anything aside from annoy the Ursa.

The Ursa carries you towards the open doorway of a warehouse, pausing momantarily to drop his scroll into a box by the door, which you note that in addition to containing a bunch of other scrolls also contains a handgun. That could come in handy if you can get to it.

As you are taken inside, you examine what they've got set up.

 _*Wow…*_ You think to yourself. _*These guys are the lamest cultists ever.*_

Their ""Sacrificial Alter"" is a plastic table with some ropes tied to it. The multitude of candles that take up a good chunk of the warehouses floor space are cheap, scented ones. In addition to this, you're pretty sure that the robes that the thirteen cultists are wearing are literally just bathrobes with hoods sewn on.

The summoning circle looks fine, but the containment circle that they've drawn around it is one designed for demons significantly weaker than anything that would require a human sacrifice. You also have no idea why they've drawn another circle around the ""Alter"", as you've never heard of a ritual where that is necessary. They've also coated the walls with runes. The runes look vaguely familiar to you but you can't quite remember where you've seen them before.

There are at least a few of things in this room that look professional. For a start they seem to have done a decent job installing heavy blackout blinds over all the windows. One of the cultists (who you assume must be the leader) has a simple stone knife tucked into the belt of his bathrobe, and the fact that its so ordinary looking, as opposed to the gaudy knives that most cults use, means that its probably a legitimately powerful artifact. Finally, next to the ""Alter"" is a large, clear glass bowl filled with water. It looks ordinary enough at first glance, but you can feel an immense amount of magic radiating off of it.

The Ursa places you on the ""Alter"", cuts off the cable ties, binds your hands and feet with the ropes, and walks off with Piggy to put on their own bathrobes. You give the ropes an experimental tug, and discover that the Ursa is actually very bad at making knots! You could probably get out of your bindings at any time, but you'll need a plan of action otherwise the cult will just grab you and you'll be back to square one again.

 **What do you do?**

Wait for the head cultist to get close with the knife and grab it off him

Wait for a clear path to the door and go for the handgun

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0001.**

* * *

 **0001**

 **0001: going for the handgun is too risky; you don't know if it's charged, and you might get caught on the way. Grab the head cultist's knife as soon as you can and stab them. You have the surprise effect. What's the worst that could happen?**

 **0001: Wait for the head cultist to get close with the knife and grab it off him**

 **0001: Go for the knife.**

Knife it is! Now you just need to find a way to get the leader to come closer.

"Is everything ready?" The leader calls out. "Have you checked that there is no light aside from the candles?" There is a chorus of affirmatives from the other cultists. "Wonderful! Begin the ritual!"

The cultists all pull out notebooks and begin reading a chant out of them. They can't even be bothered to remember their lines, unbelievable!

 **0001: talk to them a lil, try to get out of them what exactly they're trying to summon.**

 **0001: tell them how much their altar suck. Add that yourself has been summoned in a much classier altar, see if it freaks them out.**

 **0001: complain about their incompetent sacrificial cultism**

You yell at the leader. "Hey knife guy!"

He carries on chanting, but its clear he heard you.

"Hey, come on I'm talking to you"

He groans and snaps his notebook shut while gesturing toward the others to continue. "What is it?"

"What the heck is with the set up you have here? Your candles are terrible, you're wearing bathrobes, and you couldn't even get a proper stone alter! I'm actually kind of embarrassed to be a part of this right now."

"How… How DARE you! Watch your tongue you fool!"

You're clearly hitting a nerve, so you keep going. "Admit it! You blew all your budget on the knife and the bowl and had nothing left for everything else."

The cult leader opens his mouth as if he was about to yell at you again, but then seems to visibly deflate before your eyes. Looks like you hit the nail on the head.

"Actually, we only managed to buy the knife before we were all bankrupt." He says mournfully. "The bowl, and the instructions for the ritual itself, were gifts."

"Gifts? From who?"

"A patron! Someone who recognised our incredible talents!"

You notice that as he has been talking he has slowly been walking towards you. You just need a little more and you can go for the knife. "And what does this ritual do exactly? If I'm gonna die for it I at least deserve to know."

He smiles. "It will bring about a new age young lady. You see, up until now, no one has been able to bring into this world a demon strong enough to rule because gathering enough sacrifices to do so is time consuming, and draws the wrong kind of attention. But my patron has promised me that this single-sacrifice ritual, along with the bowl as a vessel, will produce energy more than twelve times greater than a single life would normally produce."

He giggles madly, and takes another step forward. He is on the edge of the circle surrounding your ""Alter"" now. Just one more step and he'll be close enough for you to go for the knife."

Meanwhile, the leader continues his speech. By now he is visibly panting from excitement. "With the power we gain today we will be unstoppable!"

Actually you're starting to think that excitement isn't the reason why he's panting.

"We will be able to perform even grander rituals and harness the power if the gods and titans of old!"

Yeah he's really starting to not look so good what the heck is going on?

REJOICE CHILD! You will be part of something great! IT ALL BEGINS HE…. It all begins her…. It all begins… It all…"

And with that, he keels over, dead as a doornail.

Well… That does make things slightly easier you suppose.

The sight of their leader falling snaps the other cultists out of their chant.

"Boss! Are you alr… Are you alri….." One manages to stammer before keeling over in a similar fashion.

All around you, the cultists are dropping dead. You notice that the runes on the walls are glowing, and finally remember what they are. They're ones meant to suck life-energy out of a sacrifice for use in a ritual. The circle surrounding your ""Alter"" seems to be protecting you from the runes' effects. In other words: These guys ended up using a ritual that kills all participants EXCEPT the intended sacrifice.

For the rest of your life, whenever you make a mistake, be sure to look back on this moment and think to yourself "Well at least I didn't screw up as badly as those idiots."

You wriggle your way out of your bindings, no point in staying in them anymore after all. The glow of the runes fades, their job complete. Its probably safe to leave the circle now. You feel a rush as the cultists' life energy is collected in the bowl, causing it to glow faintly blue.

The ritual is almost complete, and the summoning has now begun.

Bad does not begin to describe the current situation. One human sacrifice will bring out a fairly strong demon, but thirteen sacrifices won't just bring out a demon thirteen times more powerful than that. As you increase the sacrifices it has a multiplicative effect, so whatever demon, or demons, come through thanks to this ritual will probably be sixty to seventy times more powerful than what was originally intended.

That's enough to wipe Vale off the map.

By now the Hunters will have detected the energy the ritual is producing, and if the containment circle was halfway decent they might get here in time to fix things, but it would barely hold an Imp-class demon, never mind whatever being is about to come through the rip between worlds. You need to do something to disrupt the ritual NOW before it completes, but you don't have much time.

 **What do you do?** (AN: There are three correct answers, and so you may vote for any three options. Whichever three get the most votes will win. You will need two correct answers to disrupt the ritual. Failure perform correctly will have an immense impact on how the story progresses from here. Good luck!)

Extinguish the candles

Rip off the blinds

Destroy the circles

Damage the runes

Tip over the bowl

Break the knife

….Of course you could also flee. You'd most likely be dooming the entire city, and you would almost certainly hate yourself forever for your cowardice, but there is a chance that you may escape.

 **The number is 0002**

* * *

 **0002**

 **FINAL SCORE:**

 **Candles: 6 votes**

 **Blinds: 4 votes**

 **Runes: 3 votes**

 **Bowl: 7 votes**

 **Circles: 3 votes**

 **Knife: 1 vote**

 **You picked 2 out of 3 correct answers: Blinds, and Bowl. The third correct answer was the runes. (It should be noted though, that extinguishing the candles WOULD have helped disrupt the ritual, but the quantity of them meant that it would have taken far too long to extinguish enough of them to have an effect. I guess you could say you got 2.5 out of three correct.)**

With your choice made, you leap into action. You first grab the bowl, gasping in surprise as touching it reveals that its not made of glass, but rather some kind of unmelting ice. You then fling the water that the bowl contains over the candles, dousing more than half of them.

You stamp out a few more candles as you rush towards the first blind. You tear it off, flooding the room with the grey light of evening. You then move on to the next, and then the next, and then the next….

By the time you are finished, the warehouse is a complete mess, with ripped blinds and stepped-on candles littered everywhere (and that's not to mention the corpses). However, there is a notable absence of demons, and you can feel the energy of the ritual fading. There might be a few minor demons wriggling through the crack between worlds that the ritual made over the next few days before it closes up, but that's nothing to really worry about. You did it!

Now you have to make another choice. Do you stay and wait for the Hunters to arrive, or get out of here to avoid awkward questions? Its probably best if you stay here, since you won't get in trouble for running away and you'll also probably get praised for stopping the disaster. From where you're currently standing, you can't see any reason to run away.

If you choose to stay, you could also have a look around at the remains of the ritual. Perhaps you could find something interesting out (its unlikely that you'll get in trouble for tampering with evidence considering how much you've already wrecked the place).

 **What do you do?**

Stay and wait quietly.

Stay and examine objects at the scene (Most interesting objects are: the knife, the bowl, the lead cultists notebook, the scrolls that the cultists left outside. Pick whichever two you want to look at the most, as after that the Hunters will arrive and you won't be able to look at any more)

Get out of here before the hunters arrive

 **The number is 0003**

Author's Note: Congrats on stopping the ritual guys! I almost kind of wish I made it slightly harder to guess the right answers, but that may have been a bit unfair.

I must say I'm kind of surprised that no one deliberately tried to pick wrong answers to let the ritual go through. I can pretty much guarantee you that later on a few of you will be going "Huh. If I had known this back then I would have let the ritual complete". That's not to say that letting the ritual complete wouldn't have been a bad thing for Ruby (probably would have put this up there with the time she called the teacher mum on the worst moments of her life rankings), but… you'll see.

It should be noted that just because you can't see the benefits of picking an option right now, that doesn't mean that there won't be upsides later. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't downsides either. Generally I'll try and give you enough information to make an informed decision though.

In this particular part there are actually no decisions that can be called bad. There will be an impact though, so choose carefully.

* * *

 **0003**

 **Stay and examine the bowl and notebook were the most voted for choices.**

You decide to try and figure out a little bit more about what happened here while you wait for the hunters to arrive.

You start with the bowl, since it seemed to be the main focus of the ritual. Despite the fact that you dropped it fairly roughly earlier, it is completely undamaged. You can also make out small runes carved into the inside now that the water has been emptied.

As you lift the bowl up closer to your face, you suddenly see a reflection of a pair of pale blue eyes staring out of it. You drop the bowl again with a shriek, and immediately feel really glad that no one is around to have heard it.

You hope that what you just saw was only a trick of the light, but you doubt it (its never just a trick of the light when it comes to stuff like this). In any case, you really don't want to touch that thing again.

Next you go and retrieve the cult leader's notebook from his hand (EW! EW! EW! HE'S ALL SHRIVELLED UP AND NASTY AND A CORPSE AND UGH THIS IS SO GROSS!). A lot of what is inside is just the gibberish that they were chanting during the ritual, but towards the end of it you find a bit of interesting information.

"The ritual does not have a specific target, summoning one or multiple demons at random. It can however be influenced via the conditions in which the ritual is performed (in a forest you will get a plant demon, in a cave an earth demon, using animal sacrifices may produce a Grimm etc). Given that the ritual vessel that we will be using is made of ice, there is a high probability of an ice demon being produced. When we voted we decided we would most like a shadow demon so perhaps by blocking out as much light as possible, and balancing the ice with a large source of fire (candles or something similar), we might get lucky."

Wow these guys didn't even know what demon they were calling. Even in death they keep finding ways to lower your opinion of them.

As you place the notebook back down on the ground, the warehouse door is kicked open, and a large group of uniformed Hunters and Huntresses rush in, guns at the ready, led by a severe-looking woman with white hair. You remember hearing about a company of Hunters from the Atlesian military visiting Beacon. You guess they must have volunteered to help out.

The white-haired woman looks over the scene with a frown, her gaze eventually settling on you.

"I don't suppose you have an explanation for what happened here?" She asks.

 **What do you say?**

 **The number is 0004.**


	2. 0004 to 0007

**0004**

 **0004: Tell them the truth. As embarrassing as it is, this is the best solution.**

 **0004: "I got kidnapped by amateur cultists and they accidentally sacrificed themselves…?"**

"Uh… yeah. Hi!" You say. "I, um… kind of got kidnapped by cultists and was gonna be used as a sacrifice, only they screwed up and sacrificed themselves instead."

From the woman's expression you can tell that she is having a hard time believing that such a thing could happen. "…I think that maybe you should start again from the beginning."

You do so, and tell her everything that happened since you woke up in the van (except for the part where you tried to get them to let you go by claiming you weren't a virgin, which she doesn't need to know about). When you get to the part where you disrupted the ritual she frowns, takes out some scroll-like device, and begins sweeping it across the room.

"I see…" She says, as you finish. "And are you absolutely certain that nothing came through due to the ritual?"

"Well I didn't see any demons. Although there was one thing…"

 **0004:** "Totally not my fault." And then proceed to explain what actually happened. **Wonder if this woman has similar eyes to what you saw in the bowl?**

"…When I picked up the bowl I saw a pair of eyes. It definitely weren't my reflection, they were blue. Kind of like yours actually…. Exactly like yours…"

She frowns at this. "I see… Such an event could be caused by any number of different factors. It could be nothing, but I will be sure to look into it." She places the device back in her pocket. "In any case miss…?"

"Ruby Rose."

"…Miss Rose." Her expression softens, and her mouth quirks upwards into a small smile. "If your story is accurate, then you may well have averted a major catastrophe. And for that you have my thanks."

*You have received Winter Schnee's respect! +500 Winter points!*

"In any case," she continues, "I need to ask you to come in to Beacon at 3PM tomorrow for further questioning. Standard procedure. If there is nothing else, then one of my subordinates will escort you home."

Is there anything else you would like to ask, say, or do before going home?

Yes (please specify)

No (timeskip to tomorrow morning)

The number is 0005.

* * *

 **0005**

 **0005: Ask for her name! We voices know it, but I don't think Ruby does. Refrain from gushing. Do not ask her for her autograph, as you do not have anything for her to sign. Ask her about her weapon instead. DO gush.**

You actually do have something to write her autograph down on: the receipt from the ice-cream store. You refrain from asking though, to try and maintain some small illusion of not being a complete dork.

"Can I ask your name first?" You ask. "You haven't told me it yet."

"Oh, I apologise. Its Winter. Winter Schnee."

"Also, if its ok with you, can I see your weapon?"

"I suppose there's no harm in it. No touching though." She draws her sword, an elegant duelling sabre. "Are you an aspiring huntress, or just an enthusiast?"

"Huntress in training! Two more years in Signal and then I'll hopefully get a place in Beacon." You say as you carefully examine the blade. "Wow. She's really beautiful."

"Why thank you. I made it myself. Originally I had a different one, which was given to me by my father, but there's something about wielding a weapon that is truly your own that nothing else can match."

You nod furiously in response to her words. "Yes! I know exactly what you mean!"

*Winter is pleased by your compliments toward her weapon! +100 Winter points!*

 **0005: Ask her if she'll need your contact info before going home.**

"Will you need my contact details? You know, just in case there is an emergency."

"Not unless you plan on skipping out on the interview, but if we absolutely must contact you then we only need to look your details up on our database. I will however give you my details, just in case you need to contact us."

You offer her the aforementioned ice-cream reciept. She scribbles her scroll number down on it and hands it back to you.

 ***You got Winter's scroll number!***

 **0005: Ask what will happen to the artifacts (knife, bowl, candles, notebook etc) then time skip :)**

You ask Winter what they will do with the stuff the cultists used in the ritual.

"Anything that we can't immediately identify will be sent to Beacon's research lab to be examined more thoroughly. After that they will either be locked away, destroyed, or put to use depending on their powers and effects. You can ask me, or whoever sees you, tomorrow and we may be able to tell you more about what was used here today."

You thank Winter for answering your questions and say goodbye. Wow, she was really cool. You hope you see her again soon.

You are then driven home by a very quiet Atlesian hunter (for the first half of the journey you thought that you'd done something to annoy them, but it turned out that they were just kind of shy). Once you arrive at your house (which is actually your Uncle Qrow's house, but you stay here often enough that you think of it as home just as much as your home back on Patch), you immediately flop straight in to bed, exhausted by the day's events.

In the morning you shower, and then enjoy a nice big bowl of Pumpkin Pete's cereal. Uncle Qrow is still not here (off doing huntery stuff as per usual), so you have the house all to yourself.

You've got ages before you have to head to Beacon, and nothing important on your schedule aside from one last bit of summer homework, but you've still got a couple of weeks before you have to do that. In the meantime maybe you could wander around Vale and see what you can find.

 **5 time slots left**

 **Go to map** (This will allow you to choose from a variety of locations in Vale. Each one will have a different encounter. None of them are absolutely vital, but all of them should hopefully be fun and/or interesting. You do not have enough time slots to visit everything so choose carefully.)

 **Just go and get your homework done already** (This will provide you with a substantial chunk of information on the nature of demons. It will use up one of your time slots.)

The number is 0006.

* * *

 **0006**

 **0006: Just get your homework done. I know it's annoying but who knows how much time will be left after your interview.**

 **0006: Finish the dreaded homework. You still have more time to explore later anyway.**

FINE HEAD VOICES! YOU DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE FUN FOR THE NEXT HOUR ANYWAY!

…While Ruby gets on with her final essay of the summer, here's something a little more interesting.

 **"A Basic Introduction to Demons"**

The name 'Demon' is actually quite misleading as it implies that all demons are of a single species. In reality there are many different types, ranging from fae, to ghosts, to grimm, and more. They also, most likely, do not originate from Hell, however this issue is hotly debated to this very day due to the lack of information we have about the dimension from which demons originate. The name, along with said belief, came about due to the fact that most demons encountered by humans or faunus have been antagonistic towards our species'.

The most common and well known demons are ones with powers over the basic elements of the world, such as fire demons, however the idea that all demons draw their powers from the elements has been disproved by ones that have powers that are harder to classify, such as mental or illusionary powers. There is believed to be a nearly infinite variety of demons, so many that we cannot possibly identify them all.

Most Demons cannot enter our realm freely unless they are extremely weak (much like how a fishing net allows small fish to get through but catches any larger ones). These weak demons, known as imps, lack the power to remain in our world for long, unless they possess the body of a living being. Intelligent beings such as humans and faunus can shrug off an imp's attempt at possession easily. However any animals that are possessed cannot, and their instinctive resistance results in it and the imp being driven feral and mutating, turning into the monstrous "Grimm". When the host body dies, the demon is sent back to its home realm. It should be noted that many leaders in the field have hypothesised that it should be possible for an imp to possess a young or infant child, due to their consciousness not being fully developed. Thankfully, there has yet to be a single recorded instance of this occurring throughout history.

More powerful Demons need to be summoned into the world via ritual. They can then be made to remain in the world via either providing it with a host (which can now be a person if the demon is strong enough to overcome their consciousness), binding it to an object, or binding it to a person. The difference between a demon "possessing" someone and being "bound" to someone is that when they are bound the host retains full control. The demon does however retain power over its own abilities, and so must be forced to co-operate via some other method.

The only time that a demon requires no host at all to remain in our world is when they are monstrously, powerful. In these cases the demon, or "Titan" as demons of this level are more commonly known, can bind themselves permanently to the world itself, becoming impossible to banish. The only way to deal with Titans is to constantly drain their power out of them, rendering them incapable of any action. Thankfully, there have only ever been four instances of Titan-class demons throughout history.

There! You're finally done with your homework. Now you have no obligations until you start your next term at Signal.

Its time to finally go out. You've plenty of time to wander before heading to Beacon. Where do you want to go first?

 **4 time slots remaining**

 **The Book Store:** You recently discovered a book shop that sells really nice books quite cheaply. Its owned by a friendly faunus man named Tuckson.

 **Ice cream store:** You never actually got to finish that ice cream before getting kidnapped. You deserve another one (and if someone tries to grab you again, you'll have Crescent Rose with you this time)

 **Coliseum:** A place where hunters and huntresses can test their skills against one another. There's no tournament right now, and you need to be 16 to sign up for anything, but its always fun to go watch.

 **Gym:** You don't really need to go to this place, but they have a nice wide area for training with weapons.

 **Cafe:** This place is one of the most popular places for dates in the city. You could go there and have a date with a nice big mug of the best hot chocolate in the world.

 **Clothes Shop:** You wear your combat skirt a lot. Maybe you could go see if there's anything you can get to expand your wardrobe.

 **Scrapyard:** You used to go here to get cheap parts when you were still a beginner when it came to making weapons. These days you only use the best parts for Crescent Rose, but there's still a high chance that you'll find something interesting.

The number is 0007

(Remember guys: more asks = more updates. Don't forget to send me prompts.)

* * *

 **0007**

 **0007: Go to the Scrapyyard! Time to loot loot loot**

 **0007: scrapyard! See if you could salvage something interesting!**

 **0007: scrapyaaaard**

You decide to go visit the scrapyard.

Before you leave the house you pick up Crescent Rose and strap it to your back. You are never going to leave the house without it again. You also take a bit of cash for anything you might buy while you're out.

You have to climb over the fence to get in. The security guards don't actually care about anyone sneaking in, but it is still technically their job to keep out trespassers so going in through the front isn't a good idea.

You don't find anything that looks like it will be immediately useful to you, but you do find a few sheets of good quality metal that could be used to make replacement blades for CR (which you stash away near your entry point so you can come back and pick them up when you're on a more serious scavenging trip). You also find a large revolver cylinder, which you pocket for future use in new weapon designs.

As you start to make your way out, you realise that you've unwittingly picked up a friend. There are a few stray cats that make their home here, and one of them seems to have taken a liking to you.

You make an attempt to lose it by taking a roundabout route to your exit, but it keeps up with you right up to, and over, the fence. At that point you resign yourself to the fact that its here to stay, as you don't have the heart to chase it away. Admittedly, out of all the stray cats that could have decided to follow you, you could have done a lot worse for yourself as this one is really pretty, with a glossy black coat of fur and intelligent amber eyes.

What should you name your new friend?

Also, where will you go next?

 **3 time slots remaining**

 **The Book Store:** You recently discovered a book shop that sells really nice books quite cheaply. Its owned by a friendly faunus man named Tuckson.

 **Ice cream store:** You never actually got to finish that ice cream before getting kidnapped. You deserve another one (and if someone tries to grab you again, you'll have Crescent Rose with you this time)

 **Coliseum:** A place where hunters and huntresses can test their skills against one another. There's no tournament right now, and you need to be 16 to sign up for anything, but its always fun to go watch.

 **Gym:** You don't really need to go to this place, but they have a nice wide area for training with weapons.

 **Cafe:** This place is one of the most popular places for dates in the city. You could go there and have a date with a nice big mug of the best hot chocolate in the world.

 **Clothes Shop:** You wear your combat skirt a lot. Maybe you could go see if there's anything you can get to expand your wardrobe.

 **The number is 0008.**


	3. 0008 to 0011

**0008**

 **0008:** OR head home with your little companion and play with it. **You could give it milk and name it Blackie. I'm sure uncle Qrow wouldn't mind.**

"How about I call you Blackie? Do you like the name Blackie?"

There is no visible response from the cat, but all of a sudden you get the strong impression that if it could speak it would be making some kind of snarky comment about your ability to name things.

"Alright fine. Not Blackie. How about I call you…"

 **0008: Name the little kitty "Belladonna". Dark, elegant, and potentially dangerous. Also, go to the book store. We might find a good book on kitty treats.**

"…Belladonna! That's a nice name right?"

The cat visibly perks up as you say this. You decide to assume that this means she likes the name.

"Great! Belladonna it is."

 **0008:** Name the cat Kitty! **And go to the bookstore. Wait, are pets even allowed inside?**

 **0008: go to the bookstore and acquire more knowledge! Knowledge is POWER.**

You decide to visit the bookstore next. On the way you spend some time worrying about what you'd do if pets weren't allowed inside. Thankfully the dilemma resolves itself, as when you arrive Belladonna sits down and waits just outside the door. What a good kitty! You'll make sure to buy something nice for her on the way home.

When you get there the shop is mainly empty aside from the shopkeeper, and a girl with green hair browsing the fiction section. You say hi to Tuckson, and begin looking through the books yourself.

You already have a few stories to read back at home, so you decide to look for books on the knife and bowl from the ritual yesterday. You find nothing concrete on the knife (or to be more precise, you find so much information on different ritual knives that its impossible to figure out exactly what applies to the one that was there yesterday). Your research into the bowl is slightly more successful, as there is plenty of information on ritual vessels being used to condense large amounts of energy during more elaborate rituals.

You don't find anything about the eyes though. The closest explanation is that sometimes the reflective surface on bowls of water are used for scrying (foretelling the future or seeing far off events), but that usually requires a spell from the one looking in to it. It is possible that someone was using such a method to watch you though (which you really don't want to think too much about).

As you begin to make your way out, you recognise the book that the green-haired girl is currently flicking through.

"That's a good choice." You call out to her. "I really like how the main character always keeps trying to be a good person, despite how awful the world is."

The girl's eyes flick up towards you, and she gives a disdainful scoff. "Oh please. That kind of thing is stupid and childish. People aren't like that in real life. And they certainly don't get rewarded for it by being brought back to life."

"Brought back to life?" You say quizzically. "But that only happens in the last book. You would have had to have read the whole series to know that." (Which is ten books by the way).

The girl tenses up at your words, and turns to face you with a venomous glare. You decide that maybe its time for you to go be somewhere else.

 ***You gained (or maybe lost) an unknown number of Emerald points***

 **2 time slots remaining**

 **Ice cream store:** You never actually got to finish that ice cream before getting kidnapped. You deserve another one (and if someone tries to grab you again, you'll have Crescent Rose with you this time)

 **Coliseum:** A place where hunters and huntresses can test their skills against one another. There's no tournament right now, and you need to be 16 to sign up for anything, but its always fun to go watch.

 **Gym:** You don't really need to go to this place, but they have a nice wide area for training with weapons.

 **Cafe:** This place is one of the most popular places for dates in the city. You could go there and have a date with a nice big mug of the best hot chocolate in the world.

 **Clothes Shop:** You wear your combat skirt a lot. Maybe you could go see if there's anything you can get to expand your wardrobe.

 **The number is 0009.**

* * *

 **0009**

 **0009: Go to the ice cream shop because you deserve it girl! Buy yourself a banana split or something**

 **0009: Apologize profusely if you've spoiled the book. Make haste to the ice cream store. Maybe Belladonna would like a frozen treat? Actually, see if this new girl would join you as well.**

You momentarily consider inviting the girl along for ice cream, but eventually decide against it. Your social skills may not be that great, but you were getting a strong feeling that it was time to remove yourself from the area before things got worse.

As you arrive at the ice-cream parlour you are greeted by a strange sight. A ginger-haired girl is sitting in front of the display case, staring, hollow-eyed, at the flavours of ice cream on display. Her expression looks as though she just found out that her pet goldfish had been eaten by her cat, which then choked on it and died. You ask the guy at the till what was wrong with her.

"She was one lien short of the price of her order. I asked if she wanted to change it to something else but she just kind of… went into shock."

Well that's kind of an extreme response.

"Well if its only that much she's missing, then I'll pay the extra lien," you say. Its no big deal after all, especially since its Qrow's money.

At your words, the girl is immediately restored to life. "REALLY? " She leaps up and pulls you into a huge bear-hug. "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANKYOUSOVERYMUCH!"

 ***A DEBT IN ICE CREAM IS A DEBT FOREVER! You have earned 1000 Nora points!***

In contrast to the girls enthusiasm, the cashier looks absolutely gutted. You soon see why, as he proceeds to make an enormous sundae out of one scoop of each flavour available. There are twenty four flavours of ice cream sold here, so twenty four scoops went into creating this monstrosity.

You both take your orders (you bought a banana split with strawberry ice cream) and go sit down at one of the tables. You introduce yourself.

"I'm Nora." She says between mouthfuls of ice cream. "Thanks for your help. I've wanted to go and order every flavour of ice cream at an ice cream store for my entire life, and today you have helped me live that dream!" She finishes dramatically.

"I don't think eating that much ice cream is going to be good for you." Honestly watching her eat it is kind of putting you off your own sundae.

"My friend said something like that too, only it was more like "Stop Nora. You're going to get sick Nora. I'm not going to watch you do this to yourself Nora." He's probably right of course but I'm going to do it anyway. NO REGRETS!"

You feel as though you've watched this girl destroy herself for long enough. "I think I'm just gonna go…"

"Hold on a sec!" She says, as she pulls out a pen and scribbles a scroll number down on a napkin. "Here's my scroll number. If you ever are in need of assistance, day or night, just call me! Or you could also call me if you just wanna talk or hang out or something, I'm good with whatever."

You thank her and say your goodbyes.

 ***You got Nora's scroll number!***

Where do you want to go next?

 **1 Time slot remaining**

 **Coliseum:** A place where hunters and huntresses can test their skills against one another. There's no tournament right now, and you need to be 16 to sign up for anything, but its always fun to go watch.

 **Gym:** You don't really need to go to this place, but they have a nice wide area for training with weapons.

 **Cafe:** This place is one of the most popular places for dates in the city. You could go there and have a date with a nice big mug of the best hot chocolate in the world.

 **Clothes Shop:** You wear your combat skirt a lot. Maybe you could go see if there's anything you can get to expand your wardrobe.

 **Head over to Beacon a bit early** (This will end your exploration of the city.)

The number is 0010.

* * *

 **0010**

 **0010: HIT THE GYM**

 **0010: Boast your magnificent weapon in the gym**

 **0010: Still say the gym. Maybe Nora wants to come too?**

 **0010: Off to the gym! You should work on your skills a bit more so you don't get kidnapped again!**

 **0010: GO TO THE GYM!**

You decide to head over to the Gym and train a bit so you can avoid incidents like the one last night.

When you get there, you see that the Gym's training area is taken up by a group of nine people engaged in a battle royal using wooden weapons. At least, that's what you thought at first. You quickly realise that most of the combatants aren't attacking one another, but rather were all targeting one girl; and she was winning!

Before your eyes she dispatches the other combatants, one by one, and soon there are only two left. The girl's final opponent, to their credit, holds out against the onslaught for a little longer than the others, but its clear that they are completely on the defensive. Soon, a low blow slips through and impacts on their shins, and their futile resistance crumbles. The girl stands as the lone victor among a pile of groaning bodies.

That was one of the most beautiful things that you have seen in your entire life.

"That was amazing!" You cry as you run over to her. "The way the one guy came at you from behind and you just went 'HA YAWW' and… Wait, aren't you the girl on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's?"

"Ah… yes. I'm Pyrrha Nikos." She says sheepishly.

"I'm Ruby! That was a really cool fight! Do you come here often?"

"This is my first time here. I didn't come here to spar originally, but someone challenged me, and well…" Ruby followed her gaze to the stands, where a large number of people were clutching bruised body parts and groaning. "…One thing just kind of led to another."

"Wow… I came here to do a little combat practice. Maybe you could give me a few pointers?"

Pyrrha smiles. "I don't see why not. Why don't you start by telling me what areas you're weak in…"

You spend some time training with Pyrrha, focusing on your weaknesses such as getting out of grapples and unarmed self-defence. You're not going to be able to fix the problems you have completely with just half an hour of practice, but you won't be quite as helpless next time.

 ***Training with Pyrrha has brought you closer. +500 Pyrrha points!"**

Eventually it starts to get close to the time you have to be at Beacon, so you say your goodbyes and head off with Belladonna.

Beacon is every bit as awe inspiring as you always imagined it would be. Belladonna, sadly, does not seem to share your enthusiasm, seemingly more hesitant than usual.

As you cross the school grounds, you see Winter walking over to the main building just ahead of you. You call out and start running up to her.

"Ah, Ruby." She says as she turns to face you. "Perfect timing. I was just about to…" She stops dead, eyes widening in horror as she spots Belladonna walking behind you. Her hand darts to the hilt of her sword. When she speaks again her voice is low and dangerous. "Ruby. Stand aside. Now."

 **What do you do?**

 **The number is 0011**

* * *

 **0011**

 **0011: Stand your ground and defend the little cat! The poor thing didn't do anything bad!**

 **0011: "Okay that's just my cat" maybe enough to get her to explain what she's doing**

You try to protest. "Wait! That's just my cat!"

"That is no mere cat. Get away from it. NOW!"

"What are you talking abou… Oh…" As you turn to Belladonna you realise that she now only resembles a cat in the vaguest sense, as all of her defining features, save her eyes, have melted away into black shadow. A shadow demon.

Winter leaps forward into action; shoving you out of the way, and striking at Belladonna with her blade. The demon flows out of the way of the blade, only to let out a distorted hiss as Winter stabs her in (what you assume is) its side with a smaller knife that she had detached from her sword mid-swing.

For a few moments the two wrestle as Winter tries to keep it pinned long enough to deal a finishing blow, but Belladonna manages to escape between her legs, albeit at the cost of a large chunk of itself. From there the demon proceeds to dart towards a nearby drain, and escape into the sewers.

Winter mutters a curse under her breath upon seeing its escape, before turning to you with a look of disapproval. "When you are a huntress there often come times where moments of hesitation or disobedience could lead to lost lives. This was one of those times."

 ***-300 Winter points. Belladonna has left your group.***

"I'm… I'm sorry." You say, slightly in shock about what you had just witnessed. "I thought she was just a cat."

Winter sighs and sheathes her sword. "You're not at fault for thinking that. I may have been fooled too had I not been looking for it. In any case, we have important matters to discuss. This way."

You follow her to Beacon's main tower, where you ride an elevator up to an office surrounded by gears. There are three people waiting for you there when you arrive: A stern looking man in a military uniform, an even sterner looking woman, and grey-haired main taking measured sips from a coffee mug.

The grey haired man speaks first. "Ah! Miss Rose and Miss Schnee, you're here at last. I was beginning to worry."

"You were right to." Winter responds. "A shadow demon followed Ruby into the school, disguised in the form of a cat. I was able to drive it off for now, but it seems the worst case scenario has come to pass."

"I see. That is troubling." He turns to address you. "In any case, miss Rose I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon academy. These are my associates, Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood. You most likely have many questions, both about the event that just occurred and your experience yesterday. I believe that I have the answers to at least some of those questions."

"Where do you wish to begin?"

 **The number is 0012.**


	4. 0012 to 0015

**0012**

 **0012: Do you know who those cultists are?**

"They were a group of co-workers at a telemarketing company." Ozpin answers with a chuckle. "We believe they grew sick of their jobs and decided an attempt at world domination via demon summoning would be a better use of their lives."

Well they weren't wrong about that.

Ozpin continues. "We actually had them on our watchlist for a while. We didn't have anything that we could use to get a conviction, as bulk purchases of candles is not actually a crime. Neither is owning an antique ritual knife…"

"Although it really should be." Adds Ironwood.

"Yes. yes. I know Ironwood. We've had this conversation before. In any case, we finally got something decisive when they rented a church on the edge of town for a day a few weeks from now and clumsily tried to bribe the huntress responsible for that area to look in the other direction on that date. That would have been enough to arrest them, but since we knew the exact date that their ritual would occur we decided to wait and catch them in the act."

He frowns. "Of course, things turned out slightly differently then that. The warehouse that they actually used was rented via a company that doesn't actually exist, which indicates to me that it was a third party that made the arrangements for their ritual to be performed on a different date. This was most likely the patron that you mentioned in your report to Winter."

 **0012 ask about the bowl. what did they figure out about it?** what the fuck were dem eyes?

"Ah yes. The bowl. I believe Professor Goodwitch was in charge of the investigation into that. Glynda, would you please explain your findings to Miss Rose."

She gives Ozpin a curt nod before beginning. "The bowl is essentially an entire ritual condensed into a single object. The only thing that it needs is a method to obtain energy to fuel itself, in this case energy extraction runes, and some environmental influences in the case that the summoner desires a specific type of demon. The markings on the inside of the bowl seem to have been made with modern tools, so we believe it to have been made relatively recently. We have unfortunately not yet discerned the precise method of enchantment used to empower it."

"Thank you Glynda." Ozpin turns back to face you. "We believe that the bowl was given to the cultists by its creator in order to test its capabilities on some, shall we say, 'disposable' individuals. The idea of more of these artifacts being created is troubling to say the least. If you were also wondering about the knife; I am afraid we will need a bit more time before we reach any conclusions there

 **0012: "what kind of demon were they trying to summon?" "How powerful would it have been?"** "my uncle is the famous huntsman Qrow Branwen, I'll know if you lie to me!"

 **0012** ask about the bowl. what did they figure out about it? **what the fuck were dem eyes?**

"The ritual had no specific target, but by scanning the site of the ritual we determined what demons would come through. The first was an ice demon, with the ice of the bowl itself being the environmental catalyst for its summoning. The second was a shadow demon. The lack of natural light in the room was the catalyst for that one being brought through. The third was a fire demon, brought through by the flames of the candles. I estimate that each of them would be worth fifteen of any demon brought through with a single sacrifice, and all three together may well have been able to raze our city to the ground."

Ozpin pauses for a moment to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "As you may have guessed, you've already met the shadow demon. The eyes that you saw reflected in the bowl were most likely the ice demon. So far we haven't received any sign of the presence of the third, but I think we can safely assume that it is out there."

 **0012: Ask about Belladonna first. What is she, and why wasn't she at all hostile to you?**

"Hold on a sec." You say, confused. "I thought I stopped the ritual from bringing the demons through to our world."

"You certainly managed to prevent it from completing, but that doesn't mean it had no effect. You are no doubt aware of the fact that in order to remain in this world demons need to have a host to be bound to, ideally a living one. Thus the ritual was to bind the demons that it brought into the world to the only person meant to survive it: you."

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. You can't be bound to a demon, you just can't be. There is no way to reverse that when it happens, and only one punishment for those who are bound, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it…

"However!" Ozpin interjects, clearly seeing your panic. "Thanks to your actions, your binding was not complete. Only the most minute amount of their essence was bound to your soul, an insufficient amount for them to fully materialise. As a result, while they are currently able to maintain their presence in this world, they are severely weakened, with most of their power still trapped in the other world. Thus there is a high probability that if we were to find and destroy them, they would be returned to their world rather than returned to you as they would during a standard binding. If this is the case, then the connection will be broken once and for all, without the need for extreme measures. That's not to say that the binding can't still be completed, but it would require your conscious consent, which is likely why the shadow demon started following you."

You feel yourself relax slightly at this. But only slightly. You aren't really scared for your own life as much as you are worried about what your Dad would do if something happened to you. You don't think he would be able to take it on top of your Mom's death, and what happened to Yang.

 **0012: Ask them what is going to happen to you after what happened yesterday**

"What is going to happen to me now?"

"That is up to you. We would prefer that you stayed in Beacon for the next few days, as it is here that we can best protect you. We will not treat you as a prisoner though, and so you are free to leave whenever you choose. As for what will happen after that, we are still in the process of deciding."

 **What do you want to do?**

Stay at Beacon for now. Its safer here.

Choose to not to stay at Beacon. You don't want to hide from your problems.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0013**

* * *

 **0013**

 **0013: Remember what happened to Yang.**

 **0013: What ever did happen to Yang? Remember the details and use it as a reminder not to do something stupid.**

 **0013: Let's face our problems head on! That's what Yang would do. By the way… what happened to Yang?**

You don't want to think about it, but trying not to think about it just makes you think about it more.

The truth is, you don't know exactly what happened to Yang. One day, just an hour before dinner, she said she was going to go for a jog in the woods. Half an hour later, you and Dad saw the flames of a massive forest fire. Dad immediately rushed out to try and find her, but he was only able to find her body.

It was still alive, but Yang was gone. Her body still breathed normally, and would eat and drink if you put it in its mouth, but everything that made Yang be Yang was just gone.

You know that some day she'll come back. You know that some day that you'll have your sister again. If you didn't know that, then you don't think you would be able to cope.

 **0013: Ask if there would be any side-effects on you because of the demons bound in your soul.** After that, go home and let everything sink in.

You ask, just out of curiosity, what the side effects of having a demon bound to you are?

Ozpin shakes his head. "I wish I had an answer for you Ruby. We can examine demons' souls without too many problems, but only because they are essentially nothing but a soul. The human soul is still a mystery to us, but I can make an educated guess that if you had all three demons bound to you at once you would have more demon inside of you than human, and I think that we can safely assume that that would be a bad thing."

 **0013: You should call your dad and tell him what happened. Also ask him whether it would be better to stay at Beacon or go home.**

 **0013: Ask if you can call your dad. You want a second opinion.**

You decide to call your dad and get a second opinion. He picks up on the second ring.

"Ruby? What's wrong? You don't normally call this early in the day."

It suddenly hits you how awkward this conversation is going to be. "Well… Its kind of a long story Dad, and it all started when I got kidnapped by cultists yesterday…."

You fill him in about what occurred over the course of the past two days. Towards the end you start to hear frantic activity over the scroll.

"Right. Ruby, you stay right there at Beacon. I will be there with you in three hours or less."

"Wait, what about Yang?"

"I'll get one of the neighbours to look after her. Yang isn't in immediate danger, but you are. There is no way in hell I am just going to sit here idly while some two-bit demonic shits threaten my daughter." There is a long pause. "…Ruby, swearing is a very bad habit and you should never do it. I love you, see you later." He hangs up.

…Whelp, looks like your decision was just made for you. You suddenly really wish you'd bought a book to read for the long wait ahead.

Ruby won't be doing much for the next three hours. As a replacement for any meaningful question as to what Ruby should do next, why don't you choose which of these three **completely random letters of the alphabet that will in no way have any relevance to the story** is your favourite.

W

B

Y

 **The number is 0014.**

* * *

 **0014**

You are now…

You are now..

Who are you now?

You are you, you know that much. But you don't know much more than that.

Identity did not mean much in that other place. The only things there were you, and enemies. You did not want to fight, but you had to lest you be consumed. As you fought, you became greater, and were more able to defend yourself. But in doing this, you forgot who you were.

Did you even know in the first place? Did you ever have an identity before? Was there a before for you?

You don't know, but maybe you can find the answers here, in this world.

First of all though, you have to find a way to not get sent back to the other one. This will be no easy feat, as you have been greatly diminished. You have become a mere frigid breeze, compared to the raging blizzard you once were.

Thankfully, you are fairly certain that the girl that you glimpsed when you first entered this realm holds the answer. You felt a tiny flake of yourself stored inside of her, so perhaps she will be able to give you refuge against the pull of the other world.

You can also feel the two others who were pulled in with you somewhere in this city. In the other world they would have been your enemies, but perhaps here there is no need for you to fight…

Seeking out some kind of vessel for yourself first might also be a good idea. It would not anchor you to this world, but it would allow you to gather your strength a bit more effectively. However, while you are very weak in your current state, it may be harder for any enemies you encounter to harm you, or recognise your presence.

 **What do you do?**

Find the girl first

Seek out the shadow

Seek out the ember

Find a vessel

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0015**

 **Y gained 8 votes.**

 **W also gained 5 votes.**

 **B gained 1 vote.**

 **In the end however I picked W because someone appears to have used the anon feature to send in several votes for Y (they all came in a row and were almost identical in how they were typed). Please don't abuse the anon feature like that as I do not want to have to turn it off.**

* * *

 **0015**

 **0015: Seek the girl, but fly cautiously. Her eyes seem kind, and that's all you can trust.**

 **0015: Find the girl**

You decide that you'll prioritise finding the girl first. Any vessel that you get would be temporary at best, and you won't need one once you are properly bound to this world.

You know which direction that she is in thanks to the fragment of yourself within her, but getting to her is difficult. After all, you're a cold breeze in a summer afternoon. You can barely spend half a minute out in the sun before having to take refuge next to an air conditioner or inside a store's fridge. In the end however, salvation comes in the form of a passing ice cream truck. By stowing away in it you were able to get right to the front gates of the building in which the girl is located in relative comfort (a faint memory in the back of your mind tells you that this place is some kind of school).

Its here that things begin to get dangerous, as you notice that almost every person inside and around the school is carrying some form of weapon. You may currently be incorporeal, but from the faint pulse of power you feel emanating from the weapons you can tell that they were created to be able to hurt beings like yourself.

From here things begin to move really slowly, as if a single one of these people gain the slightest hint of your existence it could all be over. Eventually though, your care pays off. As you enter the school's cafeteria, you finally spot her sitting at a table off to the corner while chewing half-heartedly on a sandwich.

You're then faced with another dilemma. Every second that you wait increases the odds that you will be discovered. On the other hand if you try to contact her right now with so many people around, the risk may be even worse (especially if she does not immediately agree to help you).

 **What should you do?**

Risk waiting for a better opportunity

Risk contacting her immediately

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0016**


	5. 0016 to 0019

**0016**

 **0016: Observe the surroundings once more. See if the 2 other demons are present.**

You can sense that the shadow demon is somewhere nearby, although you can't pinpoint its exact location. You have no clue where the fire demon is right now though.

 **0016: Find an AC unit to get comfy in and wait for a better chance. Contacting her would be futile if a room full of people saw it happen.**

 **0016: Wait for now, but hide yourself near her. If she contains a bit of you already, it should help hide your presence from others. Do something nice for her though, like keep her cool~**

There's an air conditioner attached to the wall just above the girls seat. You slip inside it, only to discover that it wasn't functioning. No wonder the girl looks so uncomfortable. Feeling a little bit charitable, you exert a small amount of your power to produce a cooling breeze, giving off the appearance that the AC finally started working properly. It has an almost immediate effect on the girls mood, making her far more comfortable and relaxed.

Feeling satisfied with yourself, you settle down to wait until either the cafeteria empties or the girl decides to move. You slip into a doze for a while, losing all track of time, only being roused a blond-haired man comes up and starts speaking to her.

"Sorry I'm late Ruby." He said, sounding slightly out of breath. "The ferry from Patch was delayed due to a fire breaking out. Thankfully it was small otherwise I wouldn't be here right now."

Ruby smiled reassuringly and gave him a big hug. "Don't worry about it Dad, I was fine here. Do you know what's going to happen now?"

"Ah, yes. Ozpin and I had a long discussion on the scroll while I was en route, and we both decided that you will be staying here in Beacon until the situation is resolved."

"WHAT? But he said to me…"

"He said to you that he wouldn't keep you prisoner. But this isn't prison, this is protection. As long as those three demons are out there, you are not safe out in the open."

They think that you are her enemy. You're not really surprised by this fact, considering your own experiences with others of your kind.

Ruby sighs dejectedly and places her head in her hands. "You're probably right, but I can't become a huntress if I just hide away from my problems…"

"Well I do have a little bit of good news for you. You see, Ozpin has been taking a good look at how far ahead your grades are compared to all the other students at Signal. He says that he's planning to arrange for you to start learning here in Beacon as soon as summer ends. At least, if you're ok with that of course."

"Really? You you're not joking?"

"Not at all. A space opened up in the first year when they discovered that some idiot tried to apply with forged papers. You're not a huntress yet, and until you become one you'll have to stand back and let us adults protect you, but that's not to say that you can't work towards that goal in the meantime."

You watch Ruby jitter uncontrollably from excitement. "That's great! I'll do it! I'll work twice as hard as everyone and become the best huntress ever!"

"That's my girl. Now follow me, and I'll show you the dorm room they assigned to you."

—–

As they walk off, you fly after them at a distance. Ruby's father leads her to one of the dorm rooms, before leaving her alone to get settled. You watch her start to examine the beds, while muttering something about wanting bunk beds instead. You're completely alone with her, now is the perfect time.

 **What do you do? What do you say?**

 **The number is 0017**

* * *

 **0017**

 **0017: maybe say hi and hope she doesn't scream? From what we've seen so far a warm welcome shouldn't exactly be expected**

You realise that there probably isn't going to be any way to introduce yourself than just coming out and saying hi.

"Um… Hello there." You say in as human a voice as you can muster, which is actually a pretty good one if you do say so yourself.

Without hesitation she whips out her scythe and settles into a combat-ready stance. Her eyes scan the room for any visible sign of your presence.

"Where are you?" She demands. Her voice is shaking slightly, betraying her nervousness.

She hasn't called out for help yet though, so there's still hope.

 **0017: Thanks to your patience, we know she's been warned against you and won't trust you right away. You need to act before she becomes completely closed off to the idea of you, so appear to her, but be as non-hostile as possible. You don't have to be particularly friendly- in fact, that might make her suspicious. Just be calm, rational, and non-threatening.**

 **0017: "I mean no harm but Please tell me you didnt summon me for nothing."** Make a small breeze to confirm your presence?

"I don't mean you any harm. Could you please tell me why you're so scared of me after you brought me into this world?"

"I didn't bring you here! I was kidnapped! I didn't have a choice."

Oh no, that makes things way more difficult. "I'm… I'm sorry that happened. But please, if you don't help me I'll have to go back to the other world…"

"Good! Just go and leave me alone!"

"You don't understand what its like!" You feel yourself beginning to despair, as your last hope starts to slip away before you. "Every moment I stay in that place I lose bits of myself. I already don't know who I'm meant to be. You're my only chance. Please help me…"

You are now Ruby Rose, and this isn't how you expected your first encounter with a demon to go. Everything you have ever read and heard about demons has told you that they are all absolutely evil beings that must be dealt with at all costs, but this is nothing like that. Its possible that she is tricking you, trying to get you to lower your guard. She really does sound like she is about to cry though….

 **What do you do?**

Do your duty as a huntress.

Tell her to leave for now, but you'll think about what she said.

Compromise. Your cape used to be enchanted. That enchantment has long since faded, but it should be a suitable vessel for the demon to hide in.

Take the plunge and agree to complete the binding (This is not a good idea considering where you are right now).

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0018**

* * *

 **0018**

 **0018: First, ask for her name. Oh, and maybe she knows where the other demons are! You should try to get useful information out of her while she's not threatening you, and willing to talk. If she agrees to answer your question, maybe you can reach a compromise.**

 **0018: Before you make a decision, ask for more information. What does it mean lose bit of itself, or who it's supposed to be? They seem to be in a safe place, so asking these questions should do no harm**

You lower your scythe. "What do you mean lose bits of yourself?"

"That world makes you forget things. I don't know my name, or who I am. It was starting to get to the point where I wasn't even sure if I had any identity before I came through to this world. If I go back there, eventually I'll stop caring about what I've lost, and then there won't be anything left of me."

"Do you know if the other demons are the same as you? Also, do you know where they are right now?"

"I'm not sure where the fire demon is; I lost track of her on the way here.. As for the Shadow demon, she is currently somewhere below here."

In that case the shadow demon is probably still hiding somewhere in the sewers. You're quite interested by the pronouns that the demon is using. You thought that demons didn't have a gender.

"As to whether or not they're the same as me: I can't be sure. Though, when the rip to your world opened, they were the ones who fought the hardest to get to it. So, unlike most demons, they probably have something to lose."

 **0018: Compromise and use your cape for now. You can't fully trust her yet, but… your heart isn't so cold as to just ignore someone pleading like that.**

 **0018: Compromise! Give her the benefit of a doubt. Maybe you could find a better place to talk.**

You let out a sigh and holster your scythe. You don't quite trust the demon, but you'll help her for now. If she betrays you later then you won't have to feel bad about destroying her, and if she doesn't then you did a good thing. A win-win situation if you disregard the fact that what you are about to do is a betrayal of every single living being on this planet.

"I won't bind with you," you say, "because I don't trust you yet. But you can stay in my cape until you prove to me that I can. It should work as a vessel, and should hide you from most demon scanners as long as you're not doing anything at the time."

You hear a gasp of relief from the demon. "Thank you. I swear you will not regret this."

*+1000 points with the ice demon*

A cold breeze causes your cape to flutter slightly, before falling still. It now feels cool to the touch, but not in an unpleasant way.

You groan as the full weight of what you just did. Sealing demons in objects is a far lesser crime than binding them to you, but if you're caught you still will definitely go to jail for this.

Not to mention that this kind of makes you obligated to do something similar with the other two demons, at least if they're the same as this one.

 **What should you do now?**

Find a way down to the sewers and try to find the shadow demon

Try to get to town and locate the fire demon

Wait here and let them come to you

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0019.**

* * *

 **0019**

 **0019 think about what you'll bind the demons to. I mean you can't put them all in your cape can you?**

Its possible to bind multiple demons of the same, or similar, type to a single object, but that's clearly not an option here.

Crescent Rose was made with future enchantments in mind, so it would work for one of the two remaining. You'll figure out something for the third demon later.

 **0019: First, check if the ice demon can communicate with you from the cape. If she can sense the shadow demon, she might be able to help you pinpoint demons in general, but that won't amount to much if she can't update you. Also, she's going to need a name. You have a feeling she won't appreciate "Whitie" any more than the shadow demon liked "Blackie."**

 **0019: Remember that Belladonna hadn't try to hurt you either. Ask if the ice demon has a name and if she doesn't offer to give her one. Like "Snow"?**

"Hey, can you hear me from in there?"

You hear a voice speaking directly inside your head."…When was the last time you washed this thing?"

"Three days ago. Why?"

"Its all sweaty. Don't you have anything else I can stay in?"

"You're seriously going to start complaining already?"

"Alright fine but please wash it as soon as possible this is really uncomfortable."

"I'll do it later. Is there anything that I can call you? I really don't want to keep thinking of you as just 'the ice demon'."

"I don't mind what you call me as long as its not something stupid."

"How about Snow then?"

She seems to take a moment to consider this. "…Its somewhat uninspired, but it will do for now."

 **0019 head to the sewers. Start with what you know, the fire demon will find you by themself probably**

 **0019: Try to find a way down the sewers to look for the shadow demon preferably somewhere distant from the school. Having 2 demons inside the school is already too dangerous.**

"I'm going to try and find the shadow demon. Can you help me track her?"

"If you can get us down to whatever place she's in, then yes I should be able to."

"I saw her escape down into the drain outside, so she's probably down in the sewers."

"…..Please don't let this end with me getting covered in raw sewage."

"I'll try to avoid it," you chuckle.

—-

As you make your way down to the school ground, you desperately try to not think about what you'll do when you gather all three of the demons together. How long will you have to keep them hidden? Possibly your whole life if you don't find a permanent solution before then. Even if you do somehow accomplish that, they'd get sent back to the other world when you die anyway.

Whatever. That day is a long way away.

…At least, you hope it is.

As you get to the front door, you see that Winter, along with some of the other Atlesian hunters, has set up a security checkpoint at the front door. They are scanning everyone who enters and leaves the building, particularly their shadows. In theory Snow should be undetectable while in the cape (unless the have a REALLY sensitive scanner), but do you really want to take that chance?

 **What do you do?**

Find another way out

Be confident in your deception, and go right on through.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0020**


	6. 0020 to 0022

**0020**

 **0020: Find another way. Considering how Winter reacted earlier, you don't want to get skewered along with your beloved cape. Especially since it might also hurt Snow now.**

**0020: Go find another escape route. It's too risky to go there. If they detect Snow, she'll be no doubt sent back to the Otherworld in a blink of an eye.**

There's no doubt that at some point you'll be put in a situation where you will have to figure out a way to deceive Winter or be discovered. Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't put it off for the moment.

Most of the other exits from the building are also watched in a similar fashion, but you eventually get out via a small window in the girls bathroom. Luckily for you there don't seem to be many hunters out in the school grounds, as being caught outside without permission in this situation would probably be game over for you.

You gradually make your way around the side of the school until you come to a maintenance hatch leading to the sewers, which you (reluctantly) pry open using Crescent Rose. You climb down into the sewer, and discover that, rather than the massive expanse of twisting tunnels that years of gaming led you to expect, its mostly just one long tunnel lined with the various pipes leading from toilets and drains. All the pipes drain into a moderately large, and stinky, river of sewage in the middle. You're more than a little thankful for the fact that the walkway you're standing on is high and dry above it.

"Just go right from here and we'll get to her eventually," Snow informs you.

You start walking, hoping 'eventually' arrives quickly. Before long Snow speaks up again.

"Do you know who that huntress back at the entrance to the school was?"

"She's Winter Schnee. She's really cool, but was able to spot the shadow demon really easily so we should probably stay away from her."

"…Actually can you please let me get a closer look at her?"

"Um… Ok I guess I could. But why?"

"I feel as though I know her from somewhere, and that means that she might know me."

"Really? Wait, does that mean that you were once…"

You stop dead, as you begin to hear footsteps coming down the tunnel. Of course they would have sent hunters down here to look for the shadow demon, how could you be so stupid as to forget about that fact.

This is bad. You could hide behind one of the larger groupings of pipes, but it would take a miracle for them to not spot you as they walk past. You could also try hiding in the stream of sewage, but not only would that be gross, but you would later have the near impossible task of explaining away the stink of you and your clothes.

Running is also an option, but these guys are pro hunters who were sent down here to deal with a shadow demon. You're pretty darn fast, the fastest runner in Signal in fact, but you doubt that outrunning them would be possible.

 **What do you do?**

Hide behind the pipes

Take the plunge

Try to flee

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0021**

* * *

 **0021**

 **0021: Actually, run into them deliberately. Pretend to be an overzealous student ready to do your duty as a huntress. You have your weapon, you're already associated with stopping a ritual, and you ARE a student. Roll deception check!**

A plan forms in your mind. Its audacious to say the least, and if it doesn't work you are screwed, but its better than being covered in poop. You set off at a run towards the approaching hunters.

"What are you doing!?" Snow screams in your head. "You're going to get us both caught!" You just ignore her.

As soon as you come into view of the two hunters you immediately stand to attention and give your most exaggerated salute.

"Trainee huntress Ruby Rose reporting for duty! I heard that a demon was loose below the school and came to offer my assistance!"

The two of them are stunned by your sudden appearence and declaration for a few moments, until one of them bursts out laughing.

"Wow kid! I never thought I'd meet someone so eager to come crawling through a sewer. Good for you!"

"What do you mean good for you?" The second one splutters. "Its too dangerous for a trainee to be down here! There's a demon for god's sake!"

"And what demon would that be?" The first shoots back. "We've been searching up and down this goddamn sewer for hours and haven't seen a single sign of it. If I were the demon, I would already be long gone by now."

"I guess so… We should still report this girl in though."

"For what? Helpfulness and enthusiasm? Come on, both of us have done things that were way more risky for way stupider reasons. Lets give her a break ok." She turns to you. "Listen, me and my partner won't report you for being here this time, but don't do it again, ok?"

You nod eagerly.

"Great! We'll both go on ahead and clear the other hunters away from the exit so no one else decides to book you. You come out in five minutes or so when its clear. Later kiddo!"

The two of them start making their way back out of the tunnel. You release a sigh of relief when their footsteps finally fade into the distance.

"That went way better than it should have." Remarks Snow. "They must not have known that you were the person we were looking to bind ourselves to."

A voice comes from the shadows. "Its not really that surprising. Those two aren't nearly as competent as the huntress I fought earlier."

You turn and see a pair of amber eyes staring back at you from the shadows of the pipes.

"Hello there Ruby. Its good to see you again."

 ***Belladonna appreciates the fact that you came looking for her. +500 points!***

You wave awkwardly. "Hi there Belladonna. You are ok with that name right?"

"Yes. Its feels comfortable to me. Familiar even."

"Wait how come she gets a name like Belladonna when I'm stuck with something boring like Snow?" Snow grumbles indignantly.

You wince. "Sorry. I thought you said you didn't mind though."

Snow's only response to that is a non-verbal "Hmph". It doesn't feel like she's too mad though.

 ***-50 Snow points***

"Anyway. I can't bind with you yet since I don't really trust you guys yet, and I'd also probably be hunted down and killed," You say to Belladonna, "But I will give you a place to stay if you want it." You hold out Crescent Rose for her to enter.

"Thank you. I'll accept your offer, but I won't need to stay in there." With that, she proceeds to flow down into your own shadow and merge with it. It feels kind of weird to you, like there is now a tiny amount of weight to your shadow.

"Won't Winter just spot you like that again?" You ask, feeling more than a little nervous.

"Not unless she goes around stabbing the shadows of every single person she comes across or I do something like this while she's in the room." Your shadow gives you a small wave. "She got lucky the first time, I won't let it happen again.

You nod, feeling somewhat reassured by her words.

In any case, you've now got to decide what to do next. You could go looking for the fire demon immediately, thus minimising the risk that it will be caught by a hunter in the meantime. It is getting a bit late though, so perhaps the less risky choice would be to just return inside for the night and continue in the morning.

 **What do you do?**

Leave Beacon to continue your search.

Go back to your room.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0022**

 **Author's Note: This was a really good prompt! You were presented with two doors, both containing potential disaster, and instead decided to kick down a wall! Kudos to whoever sent this in.  
Also I did actually roll a D20 in response to this and it landed on 19, which is why I decided to have everything go so well.**

* * *

 **0022**

 **0022: Ask your new companions what they think you should do since they also have a stake in this. Ask if the fire demon is even nearby (even better her location if they can manage).**

As you start to make your way out of the sewer, you ask your companions' opinion on what your next course of action should be.

"It would be less dangerous for us if you waited the night before continuing," Belladonna says after a moment of thought, "But I'm not the one left out alone in a hunter-infested city, so it would be hypocritical of me to not support going out to look for her."

"I agree," adds Snow. "Besides, the last time I sensed her she seemed to be in the worst shape out of all of us. She might have gotten better since then, but I don't want to risk her fading into the other world during the night."

Well it seems pretty unanimous. You then ask them if the can sense her location right now.

"I'm afraid not," says Snow, sounding more than a little downcast. "The only reason we can even tell that she hasn't already been destroyed is the piece of her that's still inside you."

 **0022 We all know Ruby likes to take risks, so lets try to find the fire demon. Start at wherever the hottest place(temperature-wise) in Vale is. As good a place to start as any.**

Everywhere in Vale is hot right now, its the middle of summer after all. You doubt that the fire demon would be hanging out in a curry store or inside someone's oven. Maybe somewhere where there was a fire?

Wait a minute. Didn't you hear about a fire earlier…..

 **0022:** First things first, you should ask Snow and Belladona if they sense the fire demon anywhere close. where could it hide… **Hang on, didn't Dad say he was delayed by a fire?**

"The ferry!" You say out loud. "The ferry was on fire! She might be on Patch island right now." You feel happy about having figured that out for a moment before it hits you how many problems it causes for you. "Oh no… There's no way we'll be able to get there and back quickly enough that no one notices that I'm missing. Plus the ferries will have stopped running for the day by now, so we'd need a bullhead or something…"

"Maybe you could convince someone to take you there in one," suggests Snow. "You'd need a good reason to go there though."

The best reason that you can think of right now to is to visit Yang, but you doubt that an excuse like that would convince anybody to take you. Dad would sympathise, but given that he's already travelled from Patch once today you doubt that he would be willing to make the round trip a second time. Ozpin might sympathise a little bit, but you don't really know him well enough to make a judgement. The only other people who you can talk to who might be able to take you to Patch today are General Ironwood or Winter. As far as you can tell neither of them seem to be the types to sympathise with sisterly concerns though…

 **What do you do?**

Ask someone to take you to Patch via bullhead (specify who Ruby should ask)

Steal a Bullhead despite having no prior experience piloting any kind of vehicle

Give up for today and try again tomorrow

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0023**

 **Author's Note: Ok I normally try to make every single option balanced in their apparent pros and cons but this is the single most obvious choice so far (at least it should be for you guys, not so much for Ruby)**


	7. 0023 to 0025

**0023**

 **0023: STEAL THE SHIP! WE GONNA BE PIRATES!**

You never know, that might be a good plan B if someone discovers what you've been doing.

 **0023: Appeal to Winter, maybe she has a sister she misses! It's a longshot, but this day has been crafted from longshots, so you might make it.**

 **0023: Ask Winter for a lift. She seems to like you, and at any rate Snow did express an interest in taking a closer look at her.**

 **0023 ask winter for help. Explain her Yang's situation if you need to. It's your best bet. (Plus you get Snow close to her! Two birds one stone)**

"I'm going to go ask Winter if she is willing to give us a lift. Make sure you guys keep quiet."

Winter is still by the front door where you last saw her. She frowns slightly when she sees you.

"Ruby. When did you get outside? No one at the checkpoints saw you leaving."

You put on your best innocent face. "Oh, uh, I guess I must have just missed them. Maybe they went to the toilet or something."

Winter stares at you for a few tense moments, seemingly considering the veracity of your statement. Eventually she nods, accepting it.

"Is everything alright? I can understand that this whole affair must be quite stressful."

"Yeah it is. Is it alright if I ask you a favour? I need to go see my sister over on Patch Island. I know that the demons probably aren't going to target her, but I just really need to see her."

There's a flash of sympathy in Winter's eyes, but she shakes her head. "It seems a little excessive to make that trip at this time of the evening. Perhaps you should just call her for now."

Her careless statement hits something within you, and you feel unbidden tears welling up in your eyes. "I… I can't call her. She's been in a coma for the past two years."

Winter's stoic facade instantly crumbles into a look of pure horror. "Oh… I am so sorry, I didn't mean…" She turns to one of her subordinates. "Ready a bullhead to go to Patch immediately."

"Th-thank you." You say to her, sniffling slightly. Going to visit Yang had been an excuse up until a moment ago, but now you really do need to see her.

Winter smiles sadly. "I also know what its like to lose a sister. Sometimes I wish that I…" She takes a deep breath and composes herself once again. "I will accompany you as an escort, lets go."

 ***Winter feels a kinship with you through your shared experiences with loss. +750 Winter points***

—–

You sit in the bullhead opposite Winter. Snow and Belladonna are both quiet, not wanting to risk any activity that might cause her to perceive them.

It will be at least an hour before you arrive. Do you have anything to ask Winter before then?

 **The number is 0024.**

* * *

 **0024**

 **0024: Ask winter what motivated her to be a huntress**

Winter gives a wry smile at your question. "Believe it or not my reason was teenage rebellion. My father owns one of the largest businesses on the planet, 'the Schnee Conglomerate', and his intention was for me to follow in his footsteps and take over the company when he retired. I never liked my father, and I certainly didn't want my life to be dictated by what he wanted out of me, so I joined Atlas' hunter academy at the first opportunity. My father fought against it of course, but it is against the law in Atlas to deny hunter training to anyone who wishes for it, and so he failed."

She shakes her head sadly. "Of course, this meant that all of his expectations fell on my sister. I was hoping to encourage a similar rebellion in her, but…" She falls silent.

 **0024 ask about her sister?**

 **0024: It's a sensitive topic so don't push if she doesn't seem willing to talk, but try asking Winter about her sister. It could be good for both of you.**

"What happened to her?" You ask. "If you don't want to talk about it that's fine though."

"No its fine. She was kidnapped during a company event at our home."

You gasp. "Was it cultists?"

"No, not this time. Evidence at the scene seemed to suggest the White Fang, or one of the other groups of faunus militants, were the culprits, but normally when something like this is done by a militant protest group they all would rush to claim the credit. This time that didn't happen, and so I didn't believe that they were the culprits. My father did though, and started waging an all out war on them and the entire faunus specie

"That's terrible." You gasp, horrified.

Winter nods. "He was already a bigot, but this escalated his racism to new levels. It was completely pointless in the end, as the culprits, when they were discovered a year later, turned out to be a pair of humans who had framed the faunus in order to cover their tracks. They pretended to be delivering food for the event, and used a refrigerated truck to kidnap her. They never tried to ask for a ransom, because they forgot to turn off the refrigeration in the back of the truck where they were keeping her. She died, frozen to death."

She places her head in her hands. "Oh Weiss… You deserved so much better."

The temperature of your cape suddenly drops.

She looks up at you again, clearly only barely holding back tears. "Tell me about your sister Ruby. What was she like?"

 **0024: Offer to tell her about Yang, "The Bestest Sister Ever!", if she would like to hear. It might cathartic. Contemplate on introducing Winter to Yang as well when you arrive.**

You spend the rest of the journey telling Winter about your sister, trying to focus on all the happy stuff like how she used to bake cookies for you, playing videogames, and the time you spent training to be huntresses together. Occasionally Winter would chime in with a memory about Weiss, details like her singing voice, or how she used to do her hair up with a ponytail on one side.

By the end of the trip, Winter seems much happier. But before you get out of the bullhead, you decide to ask her one last question that's been bothering you.

 **0024: Ask Winter if she ever wonders what Demons feel, try to get her to see the other side of the coin. If you're caught with Belladonna and/or Snow, you'll probably need all the sympathy you can get to save them.**

"Winter, do you think that all demons are really evil? Maybe there are some that don't want to fight us."

Winter gives you a quizzical look. "What makes _you_ think that there are demons that are anything but monsters out there?"

"I don't know, its just been bothering me for a long time."

She sighs. "No. I don't think that there are any that are not evil. You've probably already seen plenty of Grimm, how monstrous they are, but they are nothing. The day you meet a true demon, one with intelligence, you will know that there is no mercy or kindness in their soul." She smiles at you. "It is a nice thought though. If it were only true, then the war that we hunters have always had to fight may eventually have an end."

 ***You and Winter bonded through discussion. +250 Winter points.***

 **You have arrived at Patch island. What do you want to do?**

Talk with Snow and Belladonna

Go home and visit Yang

Prioritise finding the demon

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0025.**

 **Author's note: In case any of you were wondering, a character will become open to romance when you reach 2500 points with them.**

* * *

 **0025**

 **0025: You should go visit Yang first, you really do miss her, and it would be less suspicious isle Winter saw you.**

 **0025: Let's go visit Yang first. After all that has happened and hearing about Weiss, sounds like you need this.**

 **0025: Go home and visit Yang. Why not talk to Belladona and Snow along the way?**

 **0025: First things first. Why did the temperature of the cape drop? Are you okay, Snow?**

You start heading in the direction of your home, with Winter following a couple of steps behind you. Its on the outskirts of town, but not out of walking distance. As you walk you ask Belladonna if she can tell if the fire demon is anywhere near.

"She's close." She responds. "In fact, we're actually heading in her direction right now."

That's slightly concerning, especially considering you have no reason to believe that its not the standard, malicious variety of demon. You really hope that Yang is alright.

There's also the matter of Snow's momentary freak out back in the bullhead.

"Are you feeling alright Snow?" You ask her quietly. "You kind of froze my butt a little back there."

"…Its Weiss." She responds, her voice little more than a whisper.

"What about her?"

"No. I mean that I'm Weiss. Its my name. I think that Winter is my sister."

You barely manage to stop yourself from yelling out loud in response to this revelation.

"What do you mean you were Winter's sister? That would mean… That would make you… YOU USED TO BE HUMAN?!"

"I think so. I still don't remember much aside from my name, but I do remember feeling cold, and it didn't feel good like it normally does. It got so cold that I fell asleep. When I woke, I was in the other world."  
You're starting to feel very freaked out now. "What about you Belladonna? Were you human once too?"

"No, but… I'm starting to think that perhaps I used to be a faunus."

It would be no exaggeration to say that this changes everything you know about demons. Does this mean that all Demons are actually deceased humans? Are Weiss and Belladonna just special? Is the fire demon….?

A thought enters your mind. Could it be possible that the fire demon is actually…. Surely not. But if it chose to come here, to your home, then how could it be anyone else…

Your house finally comes into view, and you break out into a sprint. You've never been religious, but you start praying to whoever might be listening for your hunch to be correct.

You knock urgently on the front door, pausing only for barely a second to greet your neighbour, an elderly woman named Opal, when she answers it. You dash upstairs into Yang's room, and lock the door behind you. Yang's body is lying on the bed as always, looking peaceful, but what catches your eye is the tiny candle flame floating just above her forehead.

"Yang. You're back." You know its her. You can feel it without any doubt. And when she speaks, its Yang's voice, although quieter, weaker.

"…Ruby. You're Ruby aren't you? That's the only thing I managed to hold on to, that I managed to remember…. This was my body wasn't it? I can't go back in, its not letting me. Please, you have to help me."

 **What do you do?**

Bind her to you immediately! This is your sister, you can't just leave her like this.

Just house her in Crescent Rose. If you act rashly now then all it will do is make things worse for you both.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0026.**


	8. 0026 and Part 1 Epilogues

**0026**

 **0026: Cry**

You're already doing that. She's here. She's finally back with you.

 **0026: Bind her to crescent rose. Dont let your emotions take over your thoughts.**

….But she's your sister. You can't just leave her like this. _She needs to be with you._

 **0026 House her in CR. I know binding to her is tempting, but considering your main goal should be to get her back into her body, binding may not be a good idea. It might get in the way of that. It's not a risk worth taking.**

 _….She won't ever have to leave you again. She won't be able to leave you again._

 **0026: I know you want nothing more than to be with your sister again, but binding with her would only complicate matters. House her in your weapon and see if you can find out why she can't go back in her body.**

 _…_

 **0026: Tell yang that you will find a way to get her back to her body but for now, you need to house her in your weapon until you find a solution.**

You shake your head a bit to clear it. Yeah it would be really dumb to bind Yang to you right now. You don't really know why you were so fixated on the idea for a second there.

You cup the flame in your hands. Its hot, but doesn't burn you. "You're Yang Xiao-Long." You say to her. "You're my sister, and as soon as we get the chance I am going to tell you every single thing I know about you until you remember everything."

"Yeah… That sounds good… Do you have somewhere I can sleep? I feel like I'm going to fade away if I don't.

You hold out Crescent Rose, and the flame flows into it. The formerly cold metal becomes warm to the touch.

 ***Yang's pre-existing trust in you means that you have +1500 Yang points!***

You lean down and give Yang's body a hug, and silently swear to do whatever it takes to get her back to normal.

As you go downstairs you see that Winter has sat down to a cup of tea with your neighbour. She gives you a small smile, and you smile back. How would she react if she knew what her sister had become? No doubt she will find out someday, and you want to make sure that their reunion is a happy one.

Finally you think of Belladonna. You still know nothing about her, not even her real name. Her story is probably also not a happy one if the pattern holds, but you want it to at least have a happy ending.

From here on out you are going to be walking a tightrope. Hunters and huntresses on one side. Demons and cults on the other. But you aren't afraid in the slightest, because you won't be walking it alone.

—–

This is the end of part 1 of The Ruby Ritual! Before part 2 begins, vote on which of the three epilogues you wish to see first.

Epilogue 1: Plans

Epilogue 2: Future

Epilogue 3: Success

You will see all 3 before we begin part 2 (where we will start Ruby's time as a student at Beacon), but I wanted to give you a choice about the order in which you see them. Also please send me feedback about what you think of the story so far! Is there anything (or anyone) you want to see more of? Is there something that you want me to do better? Do you just want to say something nice? Please send it in I thrive on that stuff.

 **The number is 0027.**

 **Author's Note: From here on out the option to complete the binding to Ruby will always be available (although I will not list it most of the time). Doing this will allow the other three members to take physical form, and give them an enormous boost in power (along with Ruby, on account of the massive amount of demon that is now a part of her). Of course, doing this is absolutely irreversible, will paint a permanent target on Ruby's back for every hunter in Remnant, and will cause huge negative reactions from pretty much every single person Ruby knows. (Maybe more than that. Power always comes with a price).**

 **You can tell people about Ruby's arrangement with the demons, but they will universally have a negative reaction unless their relationship level is fairly high (Around 3000), or you have a way to immediately prove to them that you're not doing a bad thing.**

 **Even in their current state the three demons do have some useful powers. Yang's powers pretty self explanatory (heat things up and set them on fire). Weiss' powers are basically the equal opposite of Yang's, also self explanatory. Blake's powers are the least useful in combat (in her current state), but she can do stuff like retrieve objects that Ruby otherwise could not reach, enter and pick locks, or detach from Ruby's shadow to go investigate an area up ahead (which can potentially be risky).**

* * *

 **Epilogue 1**

"What is your plan here Ozpin?"

"I'm not quite sure what you mean Glynda." He answers while facing out the window. She hated it when he did that, it was so pretentious.

"You know exactly what I mean. Admitting Miss Rose into Beacon in her current state is madness. While I have nothing but sympathy for the poor girl she should be quarantined given the threat she poses. How do we know that the demons haven't already came into contact with her?"

"They might have done so. However as long as they remain unbound they pose no real threat. I trust that Ruby, as Summer's daughter, will know to do the right thing. A far more pressing issue is who arranged for the ritual to be performed. Have you completed the analysis on the knife?"

"Yes. It is a hunter tool dating back to more than eight thousand years ago, designed to sever a connection between a demon and its host. Sadly it does not seem to present a solution to Miss Rose's problem as using it will result in irreparable damage to the soul of the host."

Ozpin's brow furrows in thought. "It might have just been a useless purchase on the part of the cult, but perhaps, if this first ritual was indeed a test, the individuals that were truly responsible intended to use that knife to deal with Ruby had she proved to be uncooperative." He finally turns to face Glynda. "Send your findings to the other three kingdoms. We may need to prepare for war."

* * *

 **Epilogue 2**

In a seemingly abandoned building at the edge of Vale, two teens, a silver-haired boy and a green-haired girl, sit at a table playing poker. The boy holds two twos, a four, a six and a seven, an uninteresting hand to say the least. Nevertheless, he smiles, and when he lays his hand down on the table it now consists of two kings and three jacks, a far more impressive full house.

The girl smiles. "Not bad Mercury." She lays down her hand, a royal flush. "But not good enough."

"Oh come on!" He splutters in outrage. "The odds of a hand like that are over 600,000 to one! You're obviously cheating!"

"You're saying that as if you aren't. You know the rules Merc, either tell me how I did it or pay up."

For a few moments he sits there just gritting his teeth, before taking out his wallet and slapping the last few bills he had down on the table. "One of these days Emerald I swear I will…"

He is interrupted when the door opens, and a shifty looking man in a white jacket enters the room.

"I hate to butt in when you two are on the verge of killing one another, but you have new orders from the boss." He drops a pair of envelopes on the table in front of them. "Apparently we're counting the fact that the bowl didn't explode this time as a success and moving on to the next phase."

"What is the next phase?" Asks Emerald as she opens her envelope. Inside is a student ID for Haven academy.

"Hell if I know! She never tells me anything! All you guys have to do for now is go to Beacon, pretend to be transfer students, and wait for further instructions. Neo will go with you and pretend to be your teammate, and Cinder will join in a few weeks once she's finished with whatever the hell she's up to right now. In the meantime I'm saddled with the unenviable job gathering up a bunch of idiots with nothing to lose for future rituals, so if you have any complaints about having to play student for a while you know where to stick them."

"What a dick." Mercury mutters as Roman leaves the room. "He is right about Cinder not telling us anything though. It would be nice to know what we're actually going to be doing for once."

"Oh come on use your brain for once. What else could we be doing?" Emerald's face breaks out into a wicked grin. "We're finally going after a Titan."

 **AN: So the second epilogue came out as something that was far less interesting than I thought it would be so I decided to skip it. 0027, the first post of part 2, will come out a bit later.**


	9. 0027 to 0029

**0027**

"…From this day onward you four will be team rune."

It's been three weeks since you retrieved Yang back at Patch. Since then you've had little time to yourself, as despite the fact that your acceptance to Beacon was accelerated you still were required to complete the entrance exams. It was boring and time consuming, but you didn't find anything too difficult (although a lot of the normal applicants didn't seem to agree).

During your spare time you try and restore Yang's memories by telling her everything you can remember about her. It was somewhat effective, but many important memories still lay beyond her reach, most notably her memories of the day of the forest fire.

The other two had also made little progress. Weiss now knows her identity, but is still unable to recollect any specifics. Belladonna was able to recall her first name, Blake, but the rest of her identity was still a mystery.

Eventually you started your first official day as a student at Beacon, and it went great! You ended up partnering up with Pyrrha, Nora, and Nora's partner Ren, and taking out a deathstalker and a nevermore! Thus team RRVN was created!

This of course does make keeping your other teammates a secret more difficult, but you're never averse to making new friends.

And so your days at Beacon begin!

 **Choose an event! (2 time slots until next minor story event. 6 time slots before major story event.)**

Bullies

Reading Material

Team Bonding

Artifacts

History Class

 **The number is 0028.**

 _AN: I decided to skip doing the first day where Ruby teams up with NPR since it was basically a slightly altered version of how it went down in the show and no one is interested in that let's be honest._

* * *

 **0028**

 **0028: Let's do some team bonding! We had little time with Pyrrha and Nora before, and you've never met Ren before.**

 **0028: Do some team bonding exercises! You already know Pyrrha a bit, and have Nora's unwavering loyalty, but further bonding will only make you a better team! Plus you don't know Ren very well yet, and he seems like someone you'd want to know better.**

As soon as the team-naming ceremony was complete one of the first things you decided to do was take your new team down to one of the on-site cafes for snacks and introductions.

"Alright team! We're going to be working together for the next few years so we should start by getting to know each other. Since I'm team leader I'll start. My name is Ruby Rose. My favourite colour is red and my favourite food is strawberries, followed closely by cookies. My hobbies are reading and weapon design. I became a huntress because I want to become a hero like my mom was."

"What was your mother's name?" Asks Pyrrha. "Just so I know if I've heard of her before."

"Her name was Summer Rose. You probably haven't heard of her though, she didn't really like publicity."

"I can respect that." Says Ren. "Anyway, I'll go next. My name is Lie Ren, though I prefer to go by my surname. My favourite colour is green, and my favourite food is curry, although I can't really handle the spicy ones. My hobbies are martial arts and cooking. I became a hunter partially to keep an eye on Nora, and partially due to personal interest. Also, so we avoid any awkward situations later, I'm asexual."

"His cooking is really great!" Exclaims Nora. "Just don't try any of his health drinks if you value your tastebuds. Anyway, its my turn! My name is Nora Valkyrie. My favourite colour is pink and my favourite food is pancakes. My hobbies are eating the stuff that Ren makes and karaoke! I became a huntress because it's a job where I'm paid to smash things."

Karaoke huh? That sounds fun. You're going to have to remember that for your next team bonding session.

Pyrrha was the only one left. "Hello everyone. My name is Pyrrha Nikos. My favourite colour is yellow, and my favourite food is peaches. My hobbies are painting and cross-country jogging. I became a huntress because I always wanted to help people, and becoming a huntress seemed like the best way to do that. I didn't really expect to get so famous so quickly though…"

You clap your hands together. "Alright guys! Now that that's out of the way lets work together to make sure that team RRVN is the best team in Beacon!"

* **You gained +200 Ren points, +100 Pyrrha points, and +100 Nora points (fewer points were gained for Pyrrha and Nora as you knew them beforehand)** *

 **Choose an event! (1 time slots until next minor story event. 5 time slots before major story event.)**

Bullies

Reading Material

Artifacts

History Class

 **The number is 0029.**

* * *

 **0029**

 **0029: What's this about bullies?**

 **0029: Meet the bullies, so you can lead your team into glorious battle against them!**

 **0029: Bullies, huh? If we want to be a hero, we have to save everyone!**

"… you filthy animals should be locked in a zoo!"

Your ears prick up as you hear this while walking down the corridor leading back to your dorm. Immediately you run in the direction of the source and find team CRDL, one of the other first year groups in your class, ganging up on a rabbit faunus.

"Hey! You leave her alone!" You yell at them, not willing to just stand by and watch this abuse take place.

The leader, Cardin Winchester, turns to look at you and gives a cocky smirk. "Oh wow, the toddlers come to play hero." He pulls out his weapon, a wicked looking mace. "Beat it squirt, or else this is going to get really painful for you."

You reach for Crescent Rose, preparing yourself for a fight. Before you can pull it out though, someone's bag rockets over your shoulder and hits Cardin with a heavy-sounding thud, knocking him flat. You turn to find out who threw it, and see a furious-looking girl wearing a beret standing behind you.

"What the hell do you think you are doing to my girlfriend?" She snarls through gritted teeth.

"Oh shit! Its her!" One of Cardin's cronies exclaims in horror. They turn heel and run, tripping over one another to get away.

"Damn racists." The girl mutters as she walks over to retrieve her bag, giving the unconscious Cardin a kick as she does so. She turns to you with a smile. "Thanks for standing up for my teammate here. I'm Coco, leader of team CFVY. What's your name?"

"I'm Ruby." You tell her, before adding "You're really cool you know," which causes her to laugh sheepishly.

"My name's Velvet." Says the faunus girl. "Sorry you had to get involved in that."

Coco rolls her eyes. "She wouldn't have had to if you'd just kicked their asses. Come on Velv, you could have broken those guys in half!"

"My mom always taught me that violence never is the answer…"

"Yeah that only applies when they don't start it." Coco sighs and turns back to you. "My girlfriend isn't always this meek I swear. Especially when we're back in the dorm room." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"COCO NO!" Velvet exclaims, blushing furiously.

"What? I'm just saying you get really competitive during team game night. Anyway, thanks again for standing up for her Ruby, hopefully we'll see you again soon."

 ***You gained +500 Velvet points and +500 Coco points!** *

 ***Blake appreciates the fact that you stood up for Velvet! +500 Blake points!***

 **Minor story event: Transfer students**

As you're walking across Beacon's courtyard you spot the girl from the bookshop walking across the school grounds along with a boy you don't recognise. You go over to say hi.

"Um, Hi. I think I said something to annoy you last time, and I just came over to say sorry for doing whatever it was."

The girl's eyes widen as she finally sees you. "Oh, its you… Um… Merc would you wait here a sec?" She grabs your arm and drags you away out of earshot of the boy. "Listen, Mercury doesn't know that I've read those kiddie books and I will never be able to live it down if he finds out. I'm going to pay you one hundred lien right now and in exchange you are going to leave me alone, pretend that we've never met before, and never speak of that stupid series to any of my team-mates."

That's a decent amount of money, but would it be right to accept it from her? You could also use this to convince her to join the book club you've been thinking of setting up. The rest of your team-mates are up for it, but you need at least a fifth member to get it recognised as a proper club.

 **What do you do?**

Take the money (cut ties with Emerald)

Refuse the money (Won't make befriending her impossible, but she still might try and avoid you)

Convince her to join your club (will annoy her in the short term, but you may get more chances to make amends)

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0030**

 **AN: Sorry about neglecting to update here for a long time. We're at 0060 on the ao3 mirror, and past part 0100 on the tumblr. Check those out!**


	10. 0030 to 0033

**0030**

 **0030: Convince her to join the club! Point out that it would give her a private spot to slip away from her friend to read whatever she wants.**

 **0030: Convince her to join your book club! Maybe she'll warm up to you, and you'll get a new friend. Can't spend all your time with just your team!**

"Alright I won't tell anyone. But I don't want your money, you have to join my book club this weekend."

"What? No! Can't you just take the money?"

You give her your best puppy eyes. "Come on, It'll be fun! You'd get a chance to read without having to worry about your team-mates."

She seems to struggle with herself for a moment before groaning in resignation. "Fine, I'll join your stupid club. Your loss."

You grin triumphantly. "Great! My name's Ruby Rose by the way. What's yours?"

"Emerald Sustrai. You had better keep to your end of the bargain or I will make sure you regret it."

You give her the details of where to meet and what book you'll be discussing this week before heading off.

 ***Emerald is mildly irritated by you. –500 Emerald points***

 **Choose an event! (2 time slots until next minor story event. 4 time slots before major story event.)**

Reading Material

Artifacts

History Class

Sparring Practice

Book Club

 **The number is 0031**

* * *

 **0031**

 **0031: Let's go look at some artifact stuff. Maybe you can learn more about the artifacts used to summon Weiss, Blake, and Yang.**

Today's your first magic and demonology class with Professor Goodwitch. She is beginning the course with a lecture on magical artifacts.

"If a human and a demon were to fight one another with nothing but their natural abilities the demon will win every single time. Demons are more powerful than humans, this is an unfortunate fact that will never stop being true. Of course, this doesn't mean that the gap cannot be closed through artificial means. The first of these means is through the construction of weaponry sufficient to damage a demon, which is a subject that I am sure you are all intimately familiar with. We will be talking about the second method today, the process of using the power of demons to fight against them."

She holds up her riding crop, which begins to emit a faint purple glow. "By imbuing an inanimate object with the power of a demon we are able to use it ourselves. These objects are commonly known as artifacts." She flicks the crop upwards slightly, and everything sitting on the desk behind her levitates upwards and begins circling around her. "This is the quickest and easiest method of evening the odds between them and us. No doubt many of you already have some form of artifact in your possession, as recent advancements have made the creation of low-level artifacts far safer. Once a demon was required to imbue an artifact with power, however we are now able to draw the required energy directly from their world. The process remains time consuming and costly however, which is why they are only produced for the most promising hunters in training."

She returns the floating paraphernalia to the desk. "When you are out on missions, you may discover, or recover, artifacts from past eras. By law, these artifacts belong to the finder, but you must always first return them for inspection as they may have a dangerous effect, or worse, house a demon. However, even if it passes all the tests and you become the user of a particularly powerful artifact, you must not become over reliant on its power, as this has lead to the deaths of many a promising young hunter."

_

After the class has ended you ask your team if they own any artifacts.

Pyrrha points to her circlet. "It allows me to control the polarity of metal objects, turning them into magnets. Its very useful against opponents with metal weapons, but I always feel bad using it when tournaments allow artifact use."

Ren holds out stormflower. "They're enchanted to produce a shield that reflects the energy of an opponents attack back at them. The stronger the enemy, the more powerful the counterattack. I haven't tested them to see if there's a limit though."

Nora pulls out a pendant shaped like a lightening bolt. "Mine absorbs electricity and uses it to make me stronger. It feels awesome, like I just drank ten cups of coffee at once. What about you Ruby?"

You unfold Crescent Rose. "I don't really have anything aside from my sweetheart here, but its all I really neeHOLY HECK!" You yelp in surprise as the blade of the scythe suddenly erupts into flames. Upon seeing your team mate's faces you quickly think up an excuse. "Oh uh, yeah its also enchanted with fire magic. I'm not really used to it though so I sometimes switch it on too suddenly."

Thankfully they seem to buy that explanation. At the first chance you get you excuse yourself from the group and go to the toilet. As soon as you lock the door you start mentally berating your scythe's occupant.

"What the hell Yang! You almost got us caught!"

"Sorry Rubes. I just figured that if they thought that my power was an enchantment then I'd be able to use it in fights while they're around."

"Yeah I guess that is a good idea, but just warn me next time so I don't get freaked out again."

"Will do!"

* **You gained the ability to freely ignite Crescent Rose** *

 **Choose an event! (1 time slots until next minor story event. 3 time slots before major story event.)**

Reading Material

History Class

Sparring Practice

Book Club

 **The number is 0032.**

 **AN: Please do not abuse anon to send multiple votes. Artifacts won even without your contribution which is why I wrote it, but I will turn anon off if it continues to be abused. Don't think I won't notice.**

* * *

 **0032**

 **0032: Sparring! Fight someone! Burn off that excess energy!**

 **0032: How about some Sparring Practice? Get a feel for Nora and Ren's fight style and skills, so you can better work together.**

Combat training was the lesson that you had most frequently, with a double period scheduled at least once every two days, as well as plenty of chances for extracurricular training. Occasionally there would be fights against captured Grimm, or short trips into the emerald or forever fall forest, but mostly you sparred against your team mates. This constant sparring rapidly gave you an excellent picture of everyone's capabilities.

Ren is fast and able to adapt to new situations rapidly, but unfortunately lacks the stamina to last in a long fight. This means that he is best suited to quickly darting in and out of combat, giving support to other hunters when necessary, and avoiding solo confrontations.

Nora is a devastating front line fighter, and is fantastic at taking on the larger species of Grimm. She does have a weakness against the smaller, faster varieties that hunt in groups though, and while she does partially compensate for this with Maginhild's grenade launcher form, she still would be quickly overwhelmed if left alone in that kind of situation.

Pyrrha on the other hand excels in pretty much any position. She is able to adapt to any situation, able to alternate between close combat and giving long range support with Miló's rifle form depending on what the situation demands. The only thing that can even be called a weakness for her is the fact that she has nothing that can easily deal a sudden decisive blow to an opponent, but this is more than compensated for by you and Nora.

You yourself are best suited to providing long range support with Crescent Rose's sniper form, only entering closer ranges when your team is fighting large groups of enemies. Your scythe is fantastic at cutting through Beowolves and Ursa, but has a harder time getting through the thick scales of King Taijitu or carapace of a Deathstalker (although Yang does help a bit with that).

Today however, you are not sparring against your team. Fighting the same opponents too frequently would make you weaker when it comes to dealing with someone new, and so today you're paired off randomly against members of different teams. Pyrrha fights CRDL (all of them, at once), and wins with little effort. Nora and Ren are paired off against the other two members of team CVFY, Yatsuhashi and Fox, and lose, albeit only barely.

Finally, its your turn to fight. You descend into the arena and meet your opponent, who turns out to be one of the transfer students in Emerald's team. She's extremely short, has her black hair done up in two pigtails, and seems to be fighting using some kind of rapier.

 **What will be your strategy for the fight?**

 **The number is 0033.**

 **AN: I originally planned for the sparring practice event to take only one part like the others, but I figured you guys would want some input into this one.**

* * *

 **0033**

 **0033 Your fast. It's sorta your thing. Use it to your advantage by keeping away from her while sniping. It could give you a chance to figure out her fighting style before engaging her up close.**

 **0033: You don't know her abilities, but if she has a rapier, it would be best to stay out of her shorter range. She's probably fast, too, that's the kind of weapon that require speed and precision.**

 **0033: Start by staying long range and see if you can tease out her capabilities.**

Her choice of weapon suggests an opponent that favours a battle at close range, which is where Crescent Rose is at its least effective. On the other hand this means that she is likely to be weak at a distance, so you decide to take advantage of this.

The second that the signal is given to begin you unfold Crescent Rose into its rifle form and fire a salvo of rounds at your opponent. She is impressively quick, and dodges most of the bullets, except for one that clips her right shoulder. You're using special rounds designed for sparring, and so none of them will give her more than a bad bruise, but you can attest to how much getting hit by one hurts.

For about a minute you fall into a pattern of shooting and running away while she attempts to close the gap between you. You aren't able to hit her again as she always manages to either dodge out of the way or knock the bullets right out of the air with her sword. Even so, it appears that the exertion is beginning to tire her out, and you begin to think that you have the fight in the bag.

This proves to be a mistake. You end up fumbling when you try to reload, and she uses that opportunity to finally close the distance between you.

 **0033: Use a defensive, counterattacking strategy to feel her out. Make a better plan from there.**

Your fighting style normally relies on more aggressive tactics to quickly overwhelm an opponent, but this time you decide to play things a bit more defensively. You use your scythe's handle to block and parry the flurry of blows. It quickly becomes clear to you that if not for the hit her sword arm took, along with her exhaustion from your shoot and run tactics, you would be beaten in an instant. As it is, you are barely able to hold on.

Eventually it becomes her turn to slip up. She lunges just slightly too far into your guard, trying to get a hit in. You quickly spin your scythe, knocking her sword far out of her grasp. Without missing a beat, you unfold your scythe fully, and use the blunt edge to pin your opponent to the ground. For a few glorious moments you relish your victory, until you feel a slight prick on your stomach, and discover that she was concealing a second knife.

"Where were you hiding that?" You exclaim.

She just smiles. A sinister smile that sends shivers down your spine.

Over in the stands Miss Goodwitch declares the fight a draw, and you let her up. Even though mere moments ago she looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she now looks fresh as a daisy. She makes a few hand signs at you before strutting off. You quietly ask your demonic companions if any of them understood her.

"I did." Says Weiss. "She said: Next time I'll fight seriously."

You really hope that that next time doesn't happen soon.

 ***You've become an interesting opponent to Neo. +1500 Neo points** *

* * *

 **Minor Story Event: The Reporter**

As you're walking across the courtyard one day you notice a rather forlorn looking man sitting over on one of the benches. He spots you looking at him and perks up slightly before walking over to meet you.

"Excuse me miss, my name is Rook, and I'm a reporter looking to do a piece on the trainee hunters of Beacon. I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me a short interview?"

What do you do?

Agree to his interview

Agree to his interview, but ask that your name be kept out of the article

Decline

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0034.**


	11. 0034 to 0036

**0034**

 **0034: Ask for more details about the interview.**

You ask him what the interview will involve.

"Its nothing big. I'm just going to ask you a few questions about what your life at Beacon is like, what you learn in the classes, that kind of thing. A surprisingly large amount of the population know very little about how hunters are educated, so I'm doing this to help change that."

 **0034: Let's help the poor guy out, but ask to remain anonymous.**

 **0034: Agree to his interview, but ask that your name be kept out of the article.**

"I'm fine with answering your questions, but would it be ok if you kept my name out of the article?"

He smiles. "Oh fantastic, I won't have to use the drivel spouted by those CRDL idiots! Not being able to name you as the source for my information is slightly inconvenient, but I'm not the kind of journalist who'd want to force someone into an uncomfortable situation. Honestly its kind of disgusting how the press treats hunters these days. When there's no crisis they denounce them as a 'drain on resources', and when there is they complain that hunters aren't working hard enough to prevent disasters. Its hard to find an honest individual in my profession these days. Come to think of it that's probably why I've had so much trouble getting an interview, but now I'm rambling. How about you start by telling me what a typical day is like for you…"

He proceeds to ask you various questions about life at Beacon, which you answer to the best of your ability. At the end of the interview he hands you his business card.

"If you ever have a story for me, or find something that you feel the world needs to know about, please give me a call. I'm always looking for a new scoop."

You take the card and say your goodbyes.

 ***You got the Journalist's business card** *

 **Choose an event! (2 time slots before major story event.)**

Reading Material

History Class

Book Club

Magnetic Problems

 **The number is 0035.**

* * *

 **0035**

 **0035: Say, is Pyrrha having Magnetic Problems? See if she needs help with that.**

 **0035: Whats That? Magnetic problems?**

You heave a huge sigh as you stare up at the hammer lodged halfway up the side of the communications tower. Just moments ago, Maginhild slipped out of Nora's hands as she did one of her grenade-propelled swings and went flying. Now you face the dilemma of how to get it back down before someone notices and makes you pay for the damages.

"Does anyone have any ideas about how to do this?" You ask your teammates.

"I don't think climbing up would work," replies Ren, "the side of the wall has no handholds, and we'd probably get spotted on the way up."

"We could try a grappling hook," Nora suggests helpfully, "although we'd need a really long rope."

"…Or I could just pull it out with my magnetism." Finishes Pyrrha.

"Its actually strong enough to reach all the way up there?" You exclaim in amazement.

"Yes. I try not to use it at full power too much though, as I lose all control and everything thats nearby and made of metal just gets pulled right towards me. One of us will need to take everything metal that we have and take it far away from here before I start though."

You offload everything on Nora, who wouldn't be able to stick around due to the metal clasps on her outfit, who then dashes off back to the dorm to wait for you.

Pyrrha begins as soon as Nora gets out of sight. A faint black glow forms around her body. After a few seconds you start to feel a tingle in the air. A few seconds more, and coins dropped by other students begin flying towards Pyrrha from all over the courtyard and sticking to her skin, but she doesn't stop. Eventually you see Maginhild start to wobble slightly.

"Yes!" Pyrrha exclaims in delight upon seeing this. "We've almost got…"

Her sentence is cut short as a large object rockets into her at high velocity, sending her flying. Immediately you and Ren rush over to help your friend, and discover that the 'object' that had hit Pyrrha was actually a girl.

"Salutations!" She exclaims. "It is very nice to meet you all"

"Um… Hi." You reply. "Do you mind getting up off our friend?"

"OH! I am so sorry." She gets up, helping Pyrrha to her feet as she does so. She turns to you and holds out a hand. "My name is Penny. What is yours?"

You take her hand and shake it. "My name's Ruby, and my team-mates are…" Movement catches your eye above you, and you quickly pull Penny towards you, barely saving her from Maginhild's descent.

Penny gasps. "You saved me… Does this mean we are now friends?"

"Um… Sure I guess."

"How wonderful! Thank you very much friend Ruby, I will never forget this moment!"

She walks with you back towards the dorm, chattering inanely all the while, until she sees General Ironwood and says her goodbyes. You feel slightly overwhelmed, but you find yourself to be quickly growing fond of the strange girl.

 ***+1000 Penny Points!** *

 **Choose an event! (1 time slot before major story event.)**

Reading Material

History Class

Book Club

 **The number is 0036.**

* * *

 **0036**

 **0036: Let's check out the Book Club! Bring along the series you remember Emerald was reading a few days ago if you have it; she might like to finish the later volumes.**

 **0036: TO BOOK CLUB!**

"Thank you for all coming to the first monthly meeting of our club." You say enthusiastically as you look over the group that has gathered in your dorm room. In addition to your team and Emerald, you were also able to convince Velvet to come join in. "Today we will be discussing 'The King's Ransom', the first book in the end of magic series. Did everyone finish reading it?"

Everyone nods except for Nora.

"I was only able to get through the first quarter, sorry. It was really funny though, especially the bit where they escape from the guards in the second chapter. I'm gonna try and finish it eventually."

"As long as you gave it a try and enjoyed it that's all that matters. What about the rest of you guys?"

Emerald shrugs. "I guess it was alright." You wait to see if she has anything else to add, but move on when it becomes clear that nothing else is forthcoming.

"I liked that the main character was openly asexual." Says Ren. "You don't see many books like that."

Velvet gives him a nod. "There was also good faunus representation too. We're too often put into roles as villains or fan service, so the lack of that kind of thing was also nice to see."

"I really liked Kayla, it's a shame that she wasn't the main character." Says Pyrrha. "Vates was funny, but far too ruthless to be called a hero."

Emerald scoffs derisively. "You don't get it."

Pyrrha turns to her with one eyebrow raised. "Really? Care to explain why?"

"The whole point of the two main characters was the contrast between Kayla's idealism and Vates' pragmatism. Kayla wants to create a better world, and believes that the only way to do that properly is by doing the right thing all the time. Vates wants the same thing, but considers it impossible to achieve without getting their hands dirty. The constant ideological conflict, along with the fact that the author does not give a real answer about which one of the two is right, is what elevates the story above being just a generic fantasy story."

"Wow Emerald, you really must have thought about that a lot." You say with a chuckle.

She shrinks back slightly in embarrassment at your words. "Yeah well it was kind a good book I guess…."

Emerald doesn't say anything for the rest of the session, but as the group disbands you nevertheless feel that your first meeting was a success.

 ***Emerald enjoyed the club despite herself. +1000 Emerald points!***

 ***+100 Ren, Pyrrha, Nora, and Velvet points!***

* * *

Once a week all the students in Beacon gather for an assembly. This week Miss Goodwitch has a special announcement.

"Three days from now the first year will be departing on their first major hunting expedition. You will be split into groups of three teams, accompanied by a teacher, with each team being in charge of either scouting, extermination, or recovery."

"The roles of these teams are simple. The scouts are in charge of finding groups of Grimm for the second group, the exterminators, to destroy. The scouts must also make sure to not lead the exterminator group into a fight that will not be favourable to them. The recovery group will be in charge of long-range support, as well as moving to bail the other two groups out of tough situations when required. While the recovery team may not see as much action as the other two, it is nevertheless a vital role, as if a situation occurs where the accompanying teacher is forced to step in, the exercise will be considered a failure for all of you."

"I will now read out which teams will be grouped up. First we have team SPRE…"

Team RRVN gets grouped up with Emerald's team and, unfortunately, team CRDL. After the assembly is over you meet up with Cardin and Cinder, Emeralds team leader, to decide what role you will all be taking.

"We're gonna be the exterminators." Demands Cardin. "Either of you two got a problem with that?"

"I have no preference." Responds Cinder. "What about you Miss Rose?"

 **What do you want to pick?**

Try to take over the extermination role from CRDL

Pick the scout role

Pick the recovery role

 **The number is 0037**

 **AN: The book they discussed during this part is one of my own story ideas just fyi.**


	12. 0037 to 0039

**0037**

 **0037: Leaving Cinder in charge of watching our backs seems like a REALLY BAD IDEA! Lets go with recovery.**

 **0037: Take the recovery role. If Cardin wants to dive into the thick of it, and likely get in trouble, then thats fine. We're more then capable of bailing him out if necessary. You get the feeling Emerald's team will be fine.**

 **0037: No reason to start an argument with CRDN, you should go for the recovery role, since you have good ranged options in case something happens. Ruby and Pyrrha have good sniper capabilities, and Nora can straight up bomb far away Grimm if need be, while Ren is super observant, so it would be a good choice.**

"We'll go with recovery. Pyrrha and I are both good at long range, and all of us are pretty good at covering distances quickly, so it's a good choice for us."

Cardin scoffs. "Don't count on seeing any action," he says, before skulking off.

Cinder gives a sigh. "How arrogant. I wouldn't worry too much Ruby, I'm sure you'll get your chance to show how skilled a huntress you are."

The destination of your trip is a place known as stone mushroom forest. As you fly over it its pretty easy to see why, as all over the forest there are massive mushroom-shaped stone structures towering over the trees. They were probably created by some demon a long time ago. Generally most geological weirdness in Remnant can be attributed to some demon or other.

But as impressive as the mushrooms are, you completely lose interest in them as your destination comes into view: the single most ENORMOUS tree you have ever seen in your entire life.

"That is Yggdrasil, the largest living orgainism in the world." Miss Goodwitch explains. "Legend states that its massive size comes from a great demon living inside it, which will emerge to defend its home should anyone attempt to damage the tree. We do not know how much of this legend is true or not, but given that the demon, should it actually exist, has not actually taken any actions against us we have decided to avoid provoking it. Besides, it would be a tragedy if such a magnificent specimen were destroyed."

The bullhead lands in a clearing a short distance from the tree. Miss Goodwitch hands out radio-like devices to every one of you, and proceeds to explain a few final instructions. "You have from now until sunset to destroy as many Grimm as possible. Your radios must always be on at all times so we can track your position, as well as your performance. Foolish actions that endanger the group as a whole will result in strict penalties. Good luck. Begin."

Team CRDL immediately goes charging off into the forest. Cinder's team follow on moments later, trying to get ahead so they can properly perform their roles as scouts. You feel really glad you chose recovery now.

"So what's our plan team leader?" Asks Ren.

 **What do you do?**

"We should climb up on top of one of the mushrooms. It won't give us much cover, but we should be able to see for a very long distance."

"We should climb up Yggdrasil and sit on one of its branches. We won't have as much visibility, but we should avoid detection by any Grimm that might get in our way when it comes time to bail out CRDL."

"We should tail the other teams. We will have to fight off any Grimm that CRDL miss, and we won't have any long-distance view of the forest. but we should be able to get to the others much more quickly if a crisis occurs."

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0038.**

* * *

 **0038**

 **0038: Ask Blake, Weiss and Yang if they have any idea… Oh, and can they sense Grimm at all?**

You ask your other three teammates if they can help with locating enemies.

"I'm afraid that demons who have taken over host bodies are significantly harder to detect than ones that are loose, so we won't be able to help you there." Says Weiss. "If we do detect something then tell everyone to run, as it will mean that a demon has appeared that is too powerful to be properly contained in its host."

 **0038: Split up the group - two on the mushrooms and two on the tree. That way it's harder for a full party wipe if you're ambushed. Ren and Nora should go mushroom for optimal vantage while you and Pyrrha can make up for it with sniper shots from the tree.**

"Alright here's how its going to work guys! Pyrrha and I will climb partway up the tree in order to get a better vantage point, and we'll provide sniper support from there. Meanwhile, Ren and Nora, you guys are going to go get on one of those big mushrooms and keep a lookout from there. That way you guys can spot when things start going bad and move in from there."

Nora and Ren both give you a nod and set off, while you and Pyrrha head off to the tree. Climbing the tree isn't too hard thanks to the enormous recoil of Crescent Rose. Soon you and Pyrrha have settled comfortably on a wide branch just above the forest's canopy. You slash away some of the leaves blocking your view with your scythe and sit down to wait.

"Its so beautiful." Pyrrha muses. "Its hard to believe that it was probably all created by demons."

"Maybe some of them aren't so bad." You respond. "Maybe we just think they're all evil because the only ones we've really met have been the evil ones. I mean there's good and bad people in the world, so maybe it's the same with demons."

Pyrrha sadly shakes her head. "That's a nice idea Ruby, but there has never been any sign of such a demon existing."

You both sit in silence for a while, occasionally firing pot shots at Grimm that enter your sights. Eventually the radio crackles on, and Nora reports in.

"Hey guys! CRDL just met some guy wandering through the forest. Its kind of weird that someone would just be wandering out here, aside from us I mean. Maybe he's a hunt….oh no." Her voice takes an urgent tone. "We're going in to help them, please assist."

For a moment the line goes dead, before being replaced by Cardin, who is clearly in as state of panic. "WE NEED HELP NOW! IT'S A FUCKING MONSTER! OH GOD IT GOT SKY…"

 **What do you do?**

Both you and Pyrrha head down to help

Send Pyrrha to help while you give sniper support

Call Miss Goodwitch (can be taken along with any of the other options)

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0039.**

* * *

 **0039**

 **0039: Send Pyrrha and provide sniper support.**

 **0039: Call Ms Goodwhich then provide sniper support. If this thing is so dangerous that Sky is already down, they need help quickly so send Pyrrha down. Her shield could prove invaluable at keeping your friends and CRDL alive.**

"Pyrrha, you go and help them. I'll provide sniper support from here and keep an eye out for any other enemies coming your way."

Pyrrha gives you a nod and proceeds to dash off in the direction of CRDL. Meanwhile you pull out the radio and contact Miss Goodwitch.

"Miss Goodwitch, we need your help. Team CRDL are being attacked by an unknown human-like enemy. Sky is already down."

"I am afraid you are on your own Miss Rose. We are also currently under attack. If I were to attempt to leave to aid you before dealing with the situation here, I would only end up drawing more hostiles toward your current position. Please survive until then." The line goes dead.

It looks like you're on your own.

 **0039: Take a look at what's going on with them through CR's scope.**

You look through Crescent Rose's scope at the battle that is taking place.

The 'person' that Nora described earlier is unmistakably possessed by a demon, their heavy mutations being a by-product of the battle between, and eventual fusion, of their two souls. Its limbs are disturbingly long, and all four of them end in hands tipped by wicked claws. It has a monstrously large mouth, too big to even close, and its body is covered by pulsing black veins.

Sky is currently lying face down in a pool of blood. The rest of CRDL, despite being in a clear state of panic, are managing to hold the creature off for the time being, but the battle is clearly not going too well.

You take aim, quickly calculating the distance and wind speed in your head, and fire a shot at it. It lands right on target, and you see a gout of blood explode from the demon's chest. It turns in your direction and roars at you, but this momentary distraction allows Nora to knock it flying with Magnhild as she enters the fray. Despite this, the creature doesn't stay down for long.

As you start looking for an opening for another shot you hear a voice coming from below you.

"Guhhhh… What a pain…"

You looked down and saw another demon. This one appeared more human than the other, with the exception of its, literally, bronze skin, and a pair of gargantuan arms that force it to walk on its knuckles like a gorilla.

"Damn it," it mutters to itself. "How come I have to be the one to track down that stupid cape girl… I wanna go kill the others… This is so dull…" It sniffs the air. "Oh good… I'm getting close…"

 **It looks like you don't have much time until it sees you. What do you do?**

Try to escape it by climbing higher up the tree.

Run in the direction of your team so you can group up with them and fight it.

Descend the tree and fight it alongside your _other_ three team-mates

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0040.**


	13. 0040 to 0044

**0040**

 **0040 Ask Weiss, Blake and Yang if they know anything about a demon like this one.**

You don't need to. This type of demon is the kind that results when someone tries to bind a demon to themselves when they don't have enough willpower to handle it. The demon then proceeds to spread across the body and soul, like an infection, warping it in the process.

By the look of him this one has some affinity with earth, specifically metal. Its bulkiness suggests that most of its power is being used to bolster its own physical abilities, so it probably won't use much magic, if any. Weiss, Blake, and Yang weren't able to sense it coming, so it isn't one of the stronger demons. However that doesn't mean that it is necessarily weak, or that you should underestimate it.

 **0040: Fight the thing! Your allies seem to have the other one user control, and with Weiss, Blake, and Yang you should at least be able to hold your own while the others deal with the other demon.**

 **0040: Descend and get ready to fight! If that thing gets up the tree, you'll lose any hope of escape. Pray that everyone else can handle a 10v1 and save Sky.**

It would be best to try and defeat it yourself. If you lead it to the others then that just doubles the number of opponents they have to face. Even if you aren't able to defeat this thing, you could at least buy some time for the others to beat their demon, and then call them to help you with this one. Besides, since you're alone, you can get help from Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

You leap out of the tree, and give Yang the command to ignite Crescent Rose. With some assistance from gravity, you manage to land a heavy blow upon the demon's back as you fall. You aren't quite able to pierce its metal skin, but you do manage to score a deep scratch into its back, which burns red-hot from Yang's fire.

"HOT! DAMN IT THAT BURNS!" It turns to face you, baring a wicked set of metallic teeth. "YOU! She didn't tell me you were working with those damn demons! Well whatever. This is just gonna make killing you more fun!" It charges at you, galloping along on its fists at high speed.

 **You have about three seconds to think about what your battle strategy will be. What do you want to do?**

 **(For this battle, and all future battles where Ruby chooses to fight alongside WBY, you will able to also send commands to Weiss, Blake, and Yang due to their mental link with Ruby.)**

 **The number is 0041.**

* * *

 **0041**

 **0041: This is probably pretty obvious but speed is our biggest advantage here. Stick to hit and run tactics with priority on the run part since it can tank more than a few hits whereas we are currently a mere squishy human (something that I personally hope we can change at some point).**

At the last possible second you jump out of the way of the demon's charge. It charges into Yggdrasil with the kind of force that would turn any normal tree into a pile of splinters. As it is, the impact leaves a several metres wide crater in the side of the tree. If you get hit like that even once you're going to be reduced to a little ruby smear on the ground.

You charge in to counterattack. This proves to be difficult however. Its huge arms give it long reach, and so it is difficult to get close enough to land a good hit.

 **0041: its skin is made of metal but what about its eyes? blake should go and try to attack its eyes while ruby distracts it**

"Keep it busy, I have an idea," you hear Blake whisper in your head.

As you continue to dart in and out, dodging its swings and trying to find your chance to get a hit in, you see your shadow slowly start to stretch towards the demon. The shadow begins creeping up its leg, then its back, and splits into two sharp points as it crests the demon's shoulders. Then, quick as a striking viper, the points rear up and jam themselves into its eyeballs.

The demon screams in pain, rage, and confusion. Its blind flailing is far easier to dodge than its earlier attacks, and so you are able to jump in and attack. Over and again you strike it with your blazing scythe, but although you leave its pitted with scratches and glowing red hot, you have yet to deal a decisive blow.

 **0041 If she can, have Weiss attempt to freeze it. Going from hot to cold that quickly should make it's skin much more brittle even if she can't actually freeze it.**

 **0041 Metal tends to warp if there is a temperature unbalance. Weiss, Yang, try to take advantage of this.**

You feel Weiss slip out of your cape. "Ruby, step back for a second. I've got an idea."

You do so, and the frigid wind that is Weiss rushes forward and buffets the demon with extreme cold. The heat of Yang's flame had caused the metal to expand, so cooling it so quickly caused it to rapidly contract. Large cracks begin to appear across the fissures you carved into its skin with your attacks.

Without missing a beat you leap forward and jam Crescent Rose into one of the cracks and slice upwards. The demon lets out a gurgling death-cry and keels over. You are victorious!"

"Team Ruby wins!" You cry happily.

 ***Fighting together has brought you closer. +500 points with Blake, Weiss, and Yang** *

Your joy is short lived though as you realise what just happened. You just killed someone. Sure they were possessed by a demon, and sure they probably deserved it with the way they were looking forward to killing you, but you still just _killed_ someone. You're starting to feel kind of sick…

"Ruby, I'm sorry to rush you, but I think I can feel something inside of the big tree." Says Yang. "I think metal muscles' attack might have woken it up. So you might want to figure out what we're doing next quickly."

 **What do you do?**

Go to your team

Go locate Emerald's team

Go to help Miss Goodwitch

Try radioing everyone first

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0042.**

* * *

 **0042**

 **0042: Check on your team first and foremost. They're your friends and your responsibility. On your way to them, make radio contact with Emerald's team to make sure they're okay. If you have time, contact Glynda too, but she has tons of experience and can take care of herself so don't worry about it if you can't.**

 **0042: Regroup. If Yang's right, you don't want to be anywhere near this tree when it wakes up.**

You take a deep breath and force yourself to calm down. There will be time to freak out about the fact that you just killed someone later, right now you need to go help your teammates. You set off in the direction that you last saw them in.

As you are running you pull out your radio. You decide to contact Emerald first since its been ages since you last saw her group. She picks it up after a couple of buzzes.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"Its Ruby. Are you guys all ok?"

"Ruby! You're ok. That's… that's great! We got attacked by someone possessed by a demon. We were able to beat it, but not before it broke Merc's leg."

You sigh in relief. "So you're all okay? Thank goodness, I was really worried "

"Wait… you were worried about us?"

"Of course! We're friends aren't we?"

"Yeah… right…" She seems to hesitate for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, we're heading back to the bullheads right now, so we'll see you there later."

"Be careful. Miss Goodwitch was fighting something there when I last called her. It might not be safe there yet."

"Being near Miss Goodwitch is probably still safer than out here, but we'll keep that in mind. See you later." She hangs up.

 ***Emerald appreciates your concern. +500 Emerald points** *

You next try to get into contact with Miss Goodwitch. There's no response, but you take that to mean that she's just too tied up with something to respond rather than the worst case scenario. She's a pro after all, you doubt she'd get taken out so easily.

You soon reach the clearing in which your team and CRDL were fighting the demon, and find the battle is over. The demon's mangled corpse lies next to a tree. Everyone aside from Sky is up and about, but is clear that the fight wasn't an easy one even with the numerical advantage. You feel really glad for Blake, Yang, and Weiss' assistance, as you doubt that you would have had any chance against the metal demon alone.

Pyrrha spots you and runs over. "Ruby, are you alright?"

"I got attacked by another demon, but I was able to beat it. How are the others doing?"

"You beat one of those things all by yourself? That's… incredible. In any case: everyone is okay except for Sky, but he's stable for the time being. We wanted to wait for you before we decide what to do next. Cardin, Russel, and Dove all want to go straight back to the bullheads, but the rest of us want to wait for Miss Goodwitch to contact us. You've got the deciding vote."

 **What do you want to do?**

Head back to the bullheads

Wait for Miss Goodwitch

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0043.**

* * *

 **0043**

 **0043: Most people will probably be heading to the bullheads, so it'd be best to join them.**

 **0043 You've done enough damage for now and Sky is injured. I say pull out. You can also observe what the tree is doing from the safety of a bullhead.**

 **0043: Ask them about their demon and how they fought it off** while you wait for Miss Goodwitch.

"Emeralds group is already heading back. We should go and join them."

Pyrrha nods. "Got it. I'll gather the others."

The trip back to the bullheads is shockingly uneventful. The forest, previously teeming with Grimm, has seemingly been emptied of all signs of life. You have a horrible feeling that they've all fled. You tell the group to speed up

As you are walking you ask Pyrrha about the demon they fought.

"It was fast, but not particularly strong. It was however able to regenerate from pretty much any injury though, so it was hard to get it to stay down after we hit it. We managed to finally put it down after Nora shoved one of her grenades down its throat and blew it to bits. Even then we had to keep smashing the pieces for a while until they stopped coming back together."

Yikes. That sounded pretty nasty

As you finally arrive at the bullhead's landing site you are greeted by a scene of pure carnage. The entire clearing is covered in meaty chunks of what you assume were once demons. In the centre of the clearing, covered in gore, Glynda Goodwitch stomps the life out of one particularly tenacious survivor.

"Ah you're here," she says upon noticing your arrival. "The members of team CMSN is already in the bullhead, please join them if you would."

You all hurry to do so, feeling more than a little intimidated by the spectacle. As the bullhead begins to take off you fill Miss Goodwitch in on all the details of what had happened that day, including the fact that the demon had been hunting you down specifically.

"This is all very troubling. It is likely then that they had ties to whoever supplied the cultists with that ritual bowl. And that's not the only thing…"

She indicates towards the window of the bullhead, and you glance out at the forest below. The trees below are shifting, moving. You suddenly feel very glad that you didn't choose to stick around.

"I'll have to put a notice out to not allow anyone to enter the forest until we figure out exactly what is happening here." Miss Goodwitch continues. "In the meantime, I think that by managing to survive you have all earned a passing grade for this exercise. Well done."

* * *

When you arrive back at Beacon you learn that every single one of the other groups of students were attacked by demons in the same way yours was. Your group seemed to be attacked by a greater number than the others, and so you're put under a great deal of scrutiny as the hunters try to discern why your group was such a priority target. Eventually though you slip back into the regular routine, albeit with a lingering sense of unease covering the school.

 **Choose an event. (5 time slots before minor plot event. 6 time slots before major plot event.)**

Vending Machine (Emerald)

History Lesson (Lore)

Atlesian Reinforcements (Winter)

Newspaper (Current events)

Concert (Weiss)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

 **The number is 0044.**

 **AN: After 5 time periods pass you will be given the option to choose who Ruby will ask out to the school dance. I was not a fan of the arc when it happened in the show, but I kind of wanted to give you the option to choose a date for Rubble. You will be allowed to pick Weiss, Blake, or Yang (if you're in to Enabler), although obviously given the fact that they lack a corporeal body the date with them will be somewhat different.**

 **You'll need to build up your relationship level with whoever you want to date to at least 2000 for them to say yes, which is why I'm listing which characters each event will have an effect on. You may need to do more than one for a character to make them eligible though.**

 **Also just because Ruby is dating one person doesn't mean that she's locked out of other relationships. I'm a poly-shipper, so feel free to pursue as many relationships as you all desire. Also don't feel pressured to max out relationships right now. We are far from done with the story, there will be time later so feel free to pick the lore options if you're curious.**

* * *

 **0044**

 **0044: I hear there's a concert being held soon. We should attend it! It might be interesting, and a good break from all the hectic stuff that's happened recently.**

 **0044: A concert sounds like it could be fun.**

 **0044: Let's attend a concert.**

As you stroll along Beacon's corridors one day you feel a small tug on your cape from Weiss.

"Ruby, please look at that poster." She sounds nervous.

You turn to look at the poster she's indicating towards, and your jaw drops. The poster is for a 'Weiss Schnee memorial concert', scheduled later today.

"Oh wow… I'm guessing you want to go see that don't you Weiss?"

"If you can, then please. It might help with my memories."

You nod and dash off to Miss Goodwitch's office to get permission to leave for the concert.

* * *

Unfortunately you're still not allowed out of Beacon on your own, and after the recent attacks the school security is stretched too thin to give you an escort on such short notice. You settle for booking one of the TV rooms.

You grab a bunch of snacks, and settle down in the room just in time to see a girl in a brilliant white dress begin singing the first song.

 _"Mirror, tell me something, tell me who's the loneliest of all…"_

None of you say anything until an hour later when the last song was finished, at which point Yang breaks the silence.

"Wow that was beautiful. It feels kind of weird to be jealous about a memorial concert, but I sure would be pretty happy to have something like that when I'm gone… Oh wait I kind of already am…"

"It was very nice," responds Blake, "but it felt like the singer had the wrong kind of voice for the songs."

"…That's because they were written for me." Whispered Weiss.

"Written for you? What do you mean?" You ask.

Weiss sighs. "I always had a good voice. One day my father caught me singing, and got me to perform during meetings and parties to entertain the company shareholders. One of them also owned a record company, and so I ended up releasing an album. It got pretty popular, so I started to do concerts up until my dea… kidnapping."

"Wow, that sounds amazing," Yang responds in awe. "I wish my singing was that popular."

Weiss scoffs. "I hated every moment of it. It was what my father wanted, not me. To him I was just a pretty little songbird that he could use to advertise his company. A tool, not a daughter." She lets out a deep sigh. "I remembered all that while we watched the concert. Until now I wanted to become human again, to get my old life back. But now that I remember what my old life was like… I can't go back to that, not again… I feel so lost…"

You're not sure what to say in response to that, but you decide to try anyway.

"Weiss… I don't have any answers for you. I think that this is something you need to figure out for yourself. I want you to know though, that whatever you decide I will be here for you no matter what."

"Same here!" Yang declares. "If you need me to go kick your dad's ass for you just let me know!"

"We're all looking for our place in this world." Says Blake. "There's nothing to say that that place has to be the same as what it once was. We're in this together, so count on us to help you."

Weiss is silent for a long while. When she finally speaks her voice shakes slightly. "Thank you… I'm… I'm glad I'm not alone any more."

 ***+1000 Weiss points** *

 **Choose an event. (4 time slots before minor plot event. 5 time slots before major plot event.)**

Vending Machine (Emerald)

History Lesson (Lore)

Atlesian Reinforcements (Winter)

Newspaper (Current events)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

 **The number is 0045.**


	14. 0045 to 0047

**0045**

 **0045 Atlesian reinforcements? Sounds like a good opportunity to see Winter again, and we could always use a huntress like her add a friend or mentor. Plus, I'm sure Weiss wouldn't mind seeing her again, even if they can't actually communicate.**

 **0045: Altlesian reinforcements! Maybe you could drop by and say hi to winter? Its been a while since you last saw her**

You're heading down to the cafeteria for lunch one day, when you hear an argument, with Winter as one of the participants, coming from inside one of the school offices.

"…Vale has no standing army that can protect it outside of its hunters. We must be prepared to play the role of protectors in this situation."

"Sir, while I understand your desire to help Vale, three dreadnought-class battleships, and an entire division of AK-200 on top of that, might give off the wrong impression to the people. With a force of that level we may start looking less like protectors and more like invaders."

"It is always better to be over prepared than under prepared. Similar forces will be sent to bolster Mistral and Vacuo."

"But sir…"

"Enough! You are dismissed Lieutenant Schnee."

"…Yes sir."

You try to act casual as Winter comes through the door.

She sighs upon seeing you. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Only the bit at the end, sorry. What was that even about?"

"…I suppose there's no harm in me telling you, since you would have found out eventually. I'll explain on the way to the cafeteria, I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast, so I really need something to eat."

As you start walking, she begins filling you in. "Have you read the news since your field trip?"

"No, I haven't had the chance."

"You might want to. People are starting to go into a panic. There hasn't been a co-ordinated attack by demons like this in decades. Even though there were no fatalities, Beacon is being attacked by the press for failing to prevent this attack."

"But that's not fair!"

"Since when has the media ever needed to be fair? In any case, the commanders in the Atlesian army have decided to send 10,000 "Atlesian Knight-200" combat robots, and three dreadnought-class battleships to each of the other kingdoms."

Your jaw drops in amazement. "That's a lot of robots."

"Indeed. Although the AK-200s will be spread across all of Vale's towns and cities, that still leaves 3000, as well as the battleships. I'm worried that this is merely a pretence for the Atlesian government trying to gain greater influence over the other kingdoms. Its hard not to listen to someone when they have thousands of troops inside your borders."

She rubs the bridge of her nose despairingly. "What makes things worse is how much my father is going to benefit from this. Ninety percent of Atlesian military technology is manufactured by, or contains components from, the Schnee conglomerate. This mobilisation will no doubt make him a fortune. I joined the military to escape him, but its hard to do that when his logo is stamped on almost every robot I see."

"That all sounds pretty bad." You say, as you both finally reach the cafeteria. "Well its not like you can do anything about it right now. I think you need something nice to cheer you up. They're serving chocolate cake for dessert today, would you like that?"

Winter gives you a small, but genuine, smile. "Yes, that sounds nice."

You spend the rest of lunch chatting about less serious topics before parting ways.

 ***+500 Winter points** *

 **Choose an event. (3 time slots before minor plot event. 4 time slots before major plot event.)**

Vending Machine (Emerald)

History Lesson (Lore)

Malfunction? (Winter) *NEW*

Newspaper (Current events)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

 **The number is 0046.**

 **AN: You know I never used to ship Ruby with Winter that much until writing this (not this part specifically, the fic in general), but now I do. Honestly I ship Ruby with pretty much every female character in RWBY, she is infinitely shippable.**

* * *

 **0046**

 **0046: Malfunctions!**

 **0046: Malfunction?**

On the day of their arrival, you sit out in the courtyard to watch the Atlesian battleships come in. They're every bit as magnificent as you imagined they'd be, more than 100,000 tonnes of steel and weaponry between the three of them. The largest ship docks just behind the school, so you decide to go get a closer look.

The area around the ship is bustling with activity when you get there. There are hundreds of the AK-200 robots in the area, along with a few larger mechs. You give a few of them a quick assessment and feel confident that you could take at least five or six of them on at once, although you'd definitely need help with one of the bigger ones.

You see Winter walking down the gangplank of the ship just ahead of a mech carrying a large crate and begin walking over to them. As they reach the bottom of the gangplank, something strange comes over the mech. The lights in its 'eyes' turn red, and it lifts the crate high over its head.

Immediately you start running, realising what is about to happen. You know you're too far away to reach her in time, but nevertheless you push yourself forward harder than you ever have before. As you run, for a split second, it feels as though you have become one with the wind itself. The moment passes as you tackle Winter out of the way, an instant before the crate came crashing down on her head.

"Ruby what are you…" She stops dead as she realises what just happened. "…You saved my life." For a few moments she just sits on the ground, stunned, before she jumps up with a furious expression on her face. "I am going to have the head of whoever is responsible for this. The occasional glitch I can understand, but something like this is inexcusable."

"I don't know… It kind of looked like it was deliberately trying to kill you."

Winter's eyes narrow. "If that is the case, then they are going to regret missing their first, and only, chance." She takes a deep breath, and appears to calm down slightly. "Thank you for saving me Ruby, I will definitely find a way to repay you someday. I'm sorry I can't stay and talk with you for a little longer, but I need to go and solve my own attempted murder." With that she walks off.

As you start to make your way back to the dorm you see Mercury leaning up against a crate nearby the ship.

"Nice work with the heroics there Red." He says before slinking off.

Huh. That was weird

 ***Winter is grateful that you saved her. +500 Winter points.** *

* **Weiss is glad you saved her sister. +200 Weiss points.** *

 ***-1000 Mercury points.** *

 **Choose an event. (2 time slots before minor plot event. 3 time slots before major plot event.)**

Vending Machine (Emerald)

History Lesson (Lore)

Newspaper (Current events)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

 **The number is 0047.**

* * *

 **0047**

 **0047: Vending Machine! Aren't you thirsty after all this running, Ruby?**

 **0047: To the vending machine!**

Generally speaking, you consider most vending machine goods to be too overpriced to be worth it. However, there is one on the east side of Beacon that dispenses these massive, soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that aren't sold anywhere else in the school. Consequently, you find yourself using it on an almost daily basis.

While on your way there one day, you hear a loud curse coming from near the machine. You dash over towards it, and find Emerald staring venomously at it.

"Did it eat your money?" You ask, mildly amused.

"Yes." She grumbles. She starts kicking it in a rage, trying to dislodge the bag of crisps that had gotten caught inside. "Stupid! Overpriced! Piece! Of! Junk!"

"Hey, calm down, you're doing it wrong." You walk over to its right side. "It does this a lot, so I was able to learn where to hit it to get my stuff out." You kick the side of the machine as hard as you can, resulting in not just the crisps, but two extra bottles of soda getting dislodged.

Emerald looks genuinely impressed by this. "Huh, not bad." She grabs everything that fell from the slot and tosses you one of the sodas. "Looks like you are good for something."

"Heh, I try." You chuckle. "By the way how's Mercury doing? I saw him up and about a couple of days ago, he recovered really quickly."

"Oh yeah. It turned out his injury was way less bad then he made it out to be. He's a wimp."

Weird. You thought his leg looked pretty badly twisted when you saw him in the bullhead.

"Well, I'm glad that he's alright." You take a sip of your soda. "You know one of those demons was actually out to kill me."

"Well… Yeah they were out to kill everyone."

"No I mean he was actually sent by someone to hunt me down, I heard him talking about it. I think it was something to do with me getting kidnapped by cultists a while back."

Emerald suddenly chokes on her drink. Wait, *cough* that was YOU?"

"Uh yeah. Did you hear about it?"

"Of course I did, a bunch of cultists dropping dead during a ritual doesn't get covered up easily. But I had no idea that you were the girl they tried to sacrifice. And now you're saying someone is trying to kill you because of it. That… that sucks." She glances around for a moment. "Listen, I've… got to go. Thanks for your help."

She dashes off.

 ***+500 Emerald points** *

 **Choose an event. (1 time slots before minor plot event. 2 time slots before major plot event.)**

History Lesson (Lore)

Newspaper (Current events)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

 **The number is 0048.**


	15. 0048 to 0050

**0048**

 **0048: I vote history lesson. Learning more about the world is never a bad thing.**

 **0048: History lesson. Might as well learn more about your world.**

History lessons with Doctor Oobleck are always interesting. His hyperactivity aside, it is always clear that he has genuine passion for the subject. You all take your seats, and he zips into the room precisely as the bell rings, as he always does.

"Alright students. Today we will be discussing a subject that I have no doubt you all are highly interested in: the four titans. I have no doubt that most of you already have the basic knowledge of them, but for the sake of those who have never picked a book up in their life would anyone care to tell me what they are, and their names."

Dozens of hands shoot up across the room, yours included. Oobleck selects Ren.

"The four titans are the four most powerful demons that have ever entered our world. They were so strong that they were able to bind themselves to our dimension permanently, thus becoming impossible to send back to the other world. They were sealed away, but still exist somewhere in remnant. As for their names, they didn't really have any, and records of communication seem to show that they were offended by the idea that they needed one. However, people have since named them 'The Star', 'The King', 'The Flesh', and 'The Spark'."

"Excellent Mr Ren! Ten points to team RRVN, is what I would say if we had such a system here at Beacon. I do have one correction for you however, as the titans are only the four strongest demons that we know to have crossed into our world. Many believe that the demon housed in Yggdrasil is titan-class, in which case I dearly hope it goes back to its dormant state soon. Many also speculate that our moon also once housed a powerful demon, and that it was shattered in ancient times in order to defeat it."

He takes a swig of his coffee before continuing. "Our knowledge of the titans is sadly greatly lacking. Each time one came into the world humanity was essentially sent back to the stone age before finally sealing it, and so we have little more than their given names to hint at their nature. The one exception to this is The Spark, which emerged into our world a mere three centuries ago, and was defeated with the relatively small loss of a couple of nations. Would anyone care to tell me how this was achieved?"

This time you get picked. "The Spark was basically just made of lightning. This made it really good at fighting, but it was kind of terrible at doing anything else without a host body. At one point some hunters were able to badly damage its host, and so it tried to possess one of them as a replacement. The hunter that it chose was able to fight off its possession long enough to jump into the ocean. All of The Spark's power ended up discharging into the sea, leaving it powerless for a long enough time for it to be sealed away."

"Perfect Miss Rose. The location of The Spark's seal is in fact below this very city. Its power is constantly drawn out of it, and put to good use." He indicates toward the lights above you. "Now then. As spectacular as that final battle must have been, it was far from the only clash with the titan. If you turn to page 32 of your textbooks we shall take a look at some of the more notable battles…"

The rest of the class passes without incident.

* * *

Headmaster Ozpin has an announcement to make in this week's assembly.

"In five days time we will be having our school's annual dance. No doubt many of you are still feeling shaken up over the recent incident, which makes it more important than ever that you all get plenty of chances enjoy your youth. We will also be holding a fireworks display in the evening, provided that conditions allow for it. Also, while I do want you all to have fun, past incidents have resulted in the following restrictions…"

You tune out the rest of what he says, too busy thinking about what to do for the upcoming event. You'll need a nice dress for it. You could also maybe ask someone out for that day, like a date. The thought makes you kind of nervous…

 **Who should Ruby go out with to the dance?**

Blake

Weiss

Yang

Winter

Emerald

Neo

No one (is there even a point to this option being here?)

 **The number is 0049.**

 **AN: The moment of truth! Also we're almost at 50 parts, yay!**

* * *

 **0049**

 **0049: Ask Weiss out to the dance! It might be a bit awkward, but you feel like it could work.**

 **0049: Take Winter to the dance! Schnees should know how to dance right?**

 **0049: You just can't get those beautiful eyes out of your mind~ Weiss.**

 **0049: Lets ask out Winter. She seems like a nice, refined woman.**

Oh this is bad, you can't decide. You like Winter a lot, but you also like Weiss. Then there are the added complications of Weiss being an incorporeal demon, and the fact that they're both sisters and… Oh boy you are really in it now.

You place your head in your hands and groan, which prompts Yang to ask what's wrong.

"I can't decide who to ask out to the dance."

"Really? Who are the contenders?"

You decide to just rip the bandage off and say it. "Weiss and Winter."

"WHAT!" Exclaims Weiss.

Oh god you forgot she was right there in your cape.

"I'm sorry Weiss, I just like your sister a lot…"

"No, I'm not mad that you like Winter. I already could see that you liked her with how often you go and talk to her. I just… can't believe you actually were thinking about asking me. I'm not human…"

"I don't care about that. I like you. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I'm actually kind of glad I got wrapped up in that ritual. Without it I might have never seen Yang again, and I would have never met you or Blake. I'm glad I was able to meet you."

Weiss is silent for a long time, to the point that you start to worry that you've said something bad. Eventually she speaks again.

"Thank you Ruby. I'm glad to have met you too. You should ask Winter out though, you deserve someone that isn't… like me."

"But Weiss I…" You pause, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Yang chooses that moment to jump in.

"Hey guys, why don't you just compromise. Ruby can ask Winter out to the dance, and then go and then later you both go and watch the fireworks together."

You shift uncomfortably. "Isn't that… cheating?"

"Not if both of them know about it. Just tell Winter you promised to watch the fireworks with someone else who couldn't make it to the dance, I'm sure she won't mind. Are you ok with that Weiss?"

"I… yes. I would be fine with that." Says Weiss.

You feel a weight lift off your chest. "Then… its settled. Now I've just got to… ask Winter…" The weight crashes back down on you. You have literally never been more nervous in your life.

* * *

You get Blake Weiss and Yang to wait back in the dorm. You don't want them around for this. You find Winter doing paperwork in one of the school offices. She smiles as she sees you enter.

"Hello there Ruby, are you having a good day?"

"Uh… Y-yes." You stammer.

"You seem nervous. Is something the matter?"

"It's… about the dance."

"Oh you're worried about asking someone out?"

You nod.

"I wouldn't be so concerned. You're a lovely person, I'm sure anyone would be happy to go out with you."

"I've… uh… kind of already got someone. They're not going to be able to go to the dance though, so I'm going to watch the fireworks with them."

"That's a shame. Is there something you needed from me? If not then I'm kind of busy at the moment."

This is it. The moment of truth. I was just wandering if… if you… Wouldyoupleasegotothedancewithme?!"

"W-what?" Winter looks absolutely speechless. "This is… highly irregular."

You wince. "I'm sorry… I just like you a lot. Its ok if you don't want to…"

"No! I don't mean that, its just… does your friend know about this?"

"She said that she's fine with it if you are."

"Then… I don't see why not. I could use a bit of time off." She smiles. "Yes, I will happily go to the dance with you Ruby. If you don't mind, I really do need to get this work done for now though."

Your spirits soar and you give Winter a huge grin. "Yes! Thank you! I'll see you then." You leave the room in high spirits.

 **There's still a couple of days before the dance. Choose whether or not you want to do one more event or skip right to it.**

Newspaper (Current events)

Reading Material (Blake)

Signs (Neo)

Upgrades (Nora)

Hiding (Penny)

Fame (Pyrrha)

Skip to the dance

 **The number is 0050.**

* * *

 **0050**

 **0050: Lets look at news with the newspaper. The paper of news. the news that helps us look at new news. That newspaper news.**

 **0050: you should read the newspaper! Information is the key to success!**

 **0050: Newspapers! We gotta know what's going on, it concerns us!**

You finally decide to get around to reading the newspaper as per Winter's suggestion. Its been a little while since the attack and the Atlesian forces' arrival, so that news is no longer exactly front-page worthy, but nevertheless there is still a piece lambasting Beacon's 'incompetence'. You wince as you read it. You picked this paper because you had believed it to be one of the less sensationalist ones, so if even this one is so sour then things must be getting really bad.

You flick through the rest of the paper, not seeing anything that seems particularly noteworthy, until Blake speaks up.

"Wait, go back a page and look at the article in the bottom left."

You do so. The piece isn't particularly eye catching, so you hadn't noticed it at first, but your eyes widen as you read its contents.

"A skirmish between the White Fang and the Jaws of Menagerie results in three deaths and seventeen injuries." You read aloud. "Yikes. This kind of thing should be front page news."

Blake scoffs. "The only thing that the media cares less about than faunus on faunus crimes are human on faunus crimes. But its strange that the White Fang would be fighting against the Jaws. Back when I was alive they were on really good terms. The Fang's transition into more extreme protest methods shouldn't have changed that, as Jaws were always a group that encouraged militant action. There is no reason for them to be fighting one another."

You skim the rest of the article. "It says here that the White Fang started it, and that this isn't the first time they've attacked other faunus groups."

"That… That makes no sense! Why would they do something like that?" Blake groans. "If only I could remember more of my life. Maybe I would know something that would help explain this."

You wish you had an answer for her…

* * *

The day of the dance has finally arrived. Weiss, Blake, and Yang all left their lodgings and went off to help Weiss prepare for your date. You're to meet up with them later on the third floor balcony.

You ordered a new dress in for the event, and it arrived just in time this morning. To your horror you discovered that the shoes that came with it had heels. You had no choice but to wear them, as your only other pair were the boots you wore with your combat outfit.

You're currently leaning up against the wall, trying to disguise the difficulty you're having keeping your balance, as you wait for Winter.

"Hello there Ruby. Are you ready for the dance?" You hear her say.

You look up at her and gasp in awe. Her military uniform has been replaced by a brilliant white dress that is effortlessly elegant; regal even.

"Wow. You look beautiful." You say on reflex.

Winter blushes slightly. "Thank you. I was worried that it would be a bit much for an informal event like this."

"No, its fine." You try to take a step forward, but stumble back to the wall almost immediately. "Whoops. Sorry, I'm not used to heels."

Winter smiles. "I couldn't stand heels when I was younger. I find that a good trick is to try imagining that you're currently hunting Grimm on uneven footing."

You close your eyes and form the mental image. Sure enough, your balance shifts to properly compensate for the heels, and suddenly walking is much easier.

"Wow, that really works. Thank you."

You nervously take her hand and lead her into the hall, where the party is already in full swing.

 **What do you want to do first?**

Straight to the dance floor!

Let Winter lead the way.

Find your teammates and introduce Winter to them.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0051.**


	16. 0051 to 0054

**0051**

 **0051 The couple dance songs won't be played at the beginning of the dance. Introduce Winter to your teammates now so you two can focus on each other later.**

 **0051: Introduce Winter to your teammates.**

"You haven't met my teammates yet have you Winter? Let me introduce you to them!"

You guide her towards the table where Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha are currently sitting, busy working their way through a platter of snacks.. Upon seeing you both, Nora leaps out of her chair, her cheeks bulging with mini sausage rolls, and offers her hand to Winter.

"Mmph! Mmm mmph mmph mmph! Mmph Mmmphmmph, mmph mmphmmph."

(Translation: "Hello! You must be Ruby's date! I'm Nora, Ruby's teammate!")

Winter hesitantly shakes her hand. "Its… erm… nice to meet you."

Ren steps up to introduce himself next. "My name is Lie Ren. I'm sorry about Nora, there's not much that can deter her when food's involved."

Nora swallows the mouthful of food and giggles. "I can't help it, things just taste nicer when they're smaller!" She sidles up to you and starts whispering in your ear as Pyrrha introduces herself to Winter. "Wow Rubes, you really hit the jackpot getting such a hottie to go out with you. What's your secret?"

"I have no idea." You answer honestly.

"Dang it. I was hoping for some tips."

You tune back in to Winter's conversation with Pyrrha.

"I must say that your reputation precedes you Miss Nikos. Its nice knowing that Ruby has such a reliable partner."

Pyrrha smiles at the compliment. "Thank you. Its not just me though, the only reason that Ruby Nora and Ren aren't as well known as I am is that they haven't yet entered any tournaments. I couldn't hope for better teammates than them."

"Yeah!" Cries Nora. "When we're together, team RRVN is invincible! Like there was this one time when we were up against this huge Nevermore…"

Nora begins recounting various stories about your time together at Beacon. A few are clearly made up, but you wince as she brings up the incident with Magnhild being embedded in the communications tower. Thankfully, Winter just laughs and comments that she had been wondering how that crack had got there. It's strange to see her so thoroughly relaxed for once, compared to how tense she normally is. A good kind of strange of course.

Sadly, you are interrupted as an Atlesian soldier walks over and begins speaking to Winter.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Schnee. We have a matter that urgently requires your attention."

Winter's expression turns venomous. "Can't it wait," she snaps, "this is my first night off in months, go and get Ironwood if its so urgent."

The soldier shuffles nervously. "I'm ever so sorry Lieutenant, but we already tried asking the General. He said that he was busy and that we should come to you."

"Oh good grief." She turns to you with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm going to have to deal with whatever this is. Can you wait for ten minutes? I promise I won't take longer than that."

You nod. "If they interrupted your night off then it must be important right?"

She sighs. "You'd be surprised. I'll be right back."

As Winter leaves with the soldier, you glance around the room for something to keep you busy in the meantime. You've already spent time with your team, so maybe you could go talk to somebody else.

You see Emerald sitting off alone in the corner. She looks kind of nervous about something. Maybe you could go cheer her up?

Her teammate Neo is by the buffet table, happily working her way through a large bowl of ice-cream. You could take this chance to get to know her a bit better.

Penny is dancing awkwardly while flanked by two of the AK-200 robots. Perhaps you could keep her company.

You can also see Velvet and Coco off in another corner. You don't think they'd appreciate you interrupting them, as they seem… busy.

 **What do you do?**

Spend time with Emerald

Spend time with Neo

Spend time with Penny

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0052.**

* * *

 **0052**

 **0052: Let's go and see what has Emerald down. We should always try and cheer up our friends.**

 **0052: Go spend some time with Emerald! No one should be nervous at a party! …you know that much, it isn't enjoyable.**

 **0052: Let's cheer up Emerald and ask her what's wrong.**

Emerald looks a bit down, so you decide to go over and try to cheer her up a bit.

"Hi Em! You don't look too good, is there something wrong?"

She looks up, and gives a reluctant smile. "Hey Ruby. I'm fine, its just… this is going to be my last night at Beacon."

"Really? Does that mean you're going back to Mistral?"

"Not exactly. Its complicated." She sighs. "I have to admit I pegged you for an annoying little brat when I first met you, but you ended up growing on me. I had fun spending time with you, despite myself. When we first came here, I couldn't wait to see the back of this place, but now I'm kind of sorry to leave."

You give her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry Em. This doesn't have to be goodbye forever. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Yeah… Maybe." She stands up. "I've got to go and get some stuff ready. Make sure you stay indoors later, there's going to be a storm. I'll see you around."

* * *

Winter gets back about a minute later. You ask her what the soldier needed her for.

"Some of the robots were playing up, and were taking patrol routes that deviated from the ones set for them. They needed me to use my rank to override them and set things right. I've told them to look into whether or not this glitch is related to the accident earlier."

Just then, the song that had been playing fades out, and a more sedate song begins. Winter smiles and holds her hand out to you.

"May I have this dance?"

You take her hand with a nervous nod, and allow her to lead you on to the floor. You've never done this kind of dancing before, but with Winter leading you you're able to figure things out enough to avoid stepping on her toes. Being so close to her feels really nice…

"This is the first time I've ever been to one of these school dances." Winter comments. "I wish I had taken the time back when I was enrolled at Atlas."

"Why didn't you?" You ask.

"Every hunter school introduces some element of randomness when creating teams in order to prepare the students for times when they have to work with unfamiliar people. Unfortunately sometimes this results in teams that are… hard to get along with."

"You didn't like your team?"

"They were competent enough in the field, but I didn't like to spend more time with them than I had to. Unfortunately this resulted in my social life being somewhat lacking in general. This is actually the first time I've gone on a date."

"Your first…" You swallow nervously. "Am I doing a good job?"

She laughs softly. "Don't worry Ruby, I'm having a wonderful evening."

You spend the rest of the party together on the dancefloor. All good things must come to an end though, and so eventually the call came out that the fireworks display would begin in ten minutes.

"You'd better go." Says Winter with a slightly sad smile. "I wouldn't want to keep your friend waiting."

 **How should you say goodbye?**

Kiss her

Don't risk it

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0053.**

* * *

 **0053**

 **0053: KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS (does it count as many votes if I write it many times?)**

 **0053: Kiss her on the hand**

 **0053: Kiss her hand for a wonderful dance.**

Since you've spent so much time being a nervous dork this evening, you decide to try and do something cool, by taking her hand and kissing it like a prince in a fairy tale. Sadly, you just end up feeling even more like a dork. Winter laughs though, so you guess it wasn't too bad.

"Thank you for such a lovely evening Ruby. I'll see you tomorrow."

 ***Winter enjoyed your date. +750 Winter points!** *

You make your way up to the balcony where you said you would meet Weiss to watch the fireworks. When you get there the balcony seems to be empty, but after a moment you notice Blake's amber eyes peeking out from the shadows.

"Weiss will be along in a minute," she tells you, "she's just getting ready. Yang and I will keep an eye out for anyone coming up to this floor. They should all stay outside for the display, but its better to be safe than sorry."

Blake darts off, leaving you waiting alone on the balcony. You take a seat in one of the two chairs that had been set up, and watch the people below go through the final preparations for the display. Before long, you hear movement behind you. You turn around, and gasp at what you see.

Weiss has made a body for herself, one of living ice. Her hair and her dress are made from ice that is frost-white, and yet it still moves exactly like hair and fabric should. The rest of her body is made from clear ice, save for her eyes which are a beautiful shade of blue. Her features are crafted in astonishing detail, as lifelike as any other person, and absolutely gorgeous besides. You are utterly awestruck…

"I did my best." She says in an uncertain tone. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it look more… alive."

You shake your head furiously. "No Weiss, you look amazing! Wow that's really cool… Uh, no pun intended."

The tension flows out of Weiss, and she laughs softly. "You dork. I hope you're not starting to pick up habits from Yang."

She sits down beside you, and you take her hand. It feels exactly like the hand of a human, save for the fact that it is every bit as cold as ice should be. Despite the cold, you don't feel any discomfort or need to let go. It's a pleasant, harmless, freezing cold, as weird as that sounds.

The display begins a few moments later, and it is absolutely amazing. A symphony of sparks of every colour of the rainbow cascade down. You heard that the fireworks are made in Beacon by a club for the third years, one that you can't wait to join. As you watch, you wonder how Yang would experience the display, as a fire demon.

You lean your head on Weiss' shoulder, but pull back as you feel her tense up.

"What's wrong?" You ask her. "Do you not want me to do that?"

"No… its just…" She holds her palms out in front of her, and stares at them sadly. "I was hoping that this evening would help me feel more human, but its done the opposite. This isn't a real body, just a lump of ice. I can't feel you holding my hand… Or your head on my shoulder. There's nothing left of what I once was…

Unable to put your current emotions into words, you pull Weiss into a tight hug. Even if she doesn't feel you, you hope that the act properly conveys your feelings to her, along with the fact that you will accept and care for her no matter what she is.

As you hold her close, you start to feel the faint connection between the small piece of your soul inside of you and hers. It feels as though you can reach out and touch it…

 **Should you?**

Do it. Give her something that feels real.

Don't. You know to little about souls to risk it.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0054.**

 **AN: This will not accidentally complete the binding, so don't worry about that happening.**

* * *

 **0054**

 **0054: Do it. You want this night to be memorable in a good way, not be bogged down with doubts and could-have-beens. Remind Weiss that she still has a soul, even if she doesn't remember everything she's been through.**

 **0054: Reach out Ruby! Reach for Weiss!**

 **0054: Do itttt!**

You reach out with your soul to hers, and pull it close. Weiss gasps softly, but doesn't pull away.

"See Weiss, you can still feel." You say. "You're still you, and that won't ever change."

"Th… thank you Ruby." Her voice shakes slightly, like she's about to cry. "That feels… nice."

 ***You've comforted Weiss! +1000 Weiss points!***

 _"Oh yes. She's very nice isn't she Ruby? You've got good taste!"_

You abruptly pull away from Weiss upon hearing this strange new voice resonating in your mind.

"What's wrong Ruby? Did I do something?"

"N-no. Its not you… I heard something… A voice."

You're feeling quite frightened now. It was just like that strange experience back when you first found Yang. That time though it was dull enough for you to just dismiss the strange episode as being nothing. This time it was sharp, unmistakable. There is something else inside of you, and touching Weiss' soul has made it aware.

Weiss open's her mouth to say something else, but you hold up a hand for her to be quiet while you search inside yourself for the presence. You find nothing, but you are certain it is still there, just keeping quiet for the time being. Your search is halted when you notice something else.

"Hey, where are those explosions coming from?" You ask Weiss.

"Huh? Aren't they just the fireworks?"

"What fireworks?" The sky is completely clear.

Weiss' eyes widen in horror. "Oh no…"

Blake's shadow and Yang's flame suddenly dart out onto the balcony.

"We've got big trouble!" Cries Yang. "The robots have gone crazy and are attacking everybody! There are some coming up to this floor, so we need to move now!"

You nod, and start to move out. Before you do so however, something catches your eye in the courtyard below. Cinder and Mercury, along with a ginger-haired man walking across the lawn, flanked by a large group of robots.

 **What should you do? (You can summon Crescent Rose to you in the locker no matter what option you pick.)**

Go back to the dorm and change into your combat outfit. Its hard to move in this dress, and you don't have your cape for Weiss to stay in.

Go and try to help everyone out against the Atlesian robots. They might be in trouble.

Tail Cinder. She's clearly controlling the robots somehow. She must be up to something bad.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0055.**


	17. 0055 to 0060

**0055**

 **0055: Pointedly remember Emerald is friends with Mercury.**

…You don't want to think about that right now.

 **0055: Go back to the dorm and change. You need somewhere to hide Weiss, it you're just asking for trouble! Call Crescent Rose now, though, you can't stay unarmed in the middle of this.**

 **0055: Go to your room and change into your combat outfit. Also summon Crescent Rose to you via combat locker. You need to have all of your demon friends with you.**

You summon Crescent Rose to you on the balcony. The impact of the locker leaves a large crack on the floor, but who cares when its an emergency like this.

As you start dashing through the building, you run straight into a squad of AK-200s. They immediately

"ATTENTION STUDENT! LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON ELSE WE WILL BE FORCED TO USE-"

You bisect it before it gets the chance to finish its declaration, and immediately move on to deal with the next. The robots immediately open fire, but while their rifles are formidable at range, up close they are unwieldy, and so it is easy for you to duck out of the way of their shots and strike back.

As you tug your scythe out of the chest of the final robot, you hear a whirr, and turn to discover a second group had rounded the corner behind you. Red dots dance across your body as they train their sights on you, but before they can fire a storm of icy shards from Weiss shreds them to pieces.

"I've got your back Ruby." She says, giving you a slightly awkward thumbs up.

You manage to get back to your dorm with no further incidents. Once there, you quickly change back into your regular combat outfit. Weiss leaves her ice body in the shower, which you switch on in order to make sure it melts properly, and returns to your cape. It seems a shame to destroy it, but you suppose she could always make another for the next date if/when it happens.

As you exit back into the hall, you hear the PA system crackle into life. Its Professor Port.

"Attention all students. There is currently a massive, organised, demonic attack occurring in Vale. The state of emergency is such that anyone who is capable of combat, must fight. An evacuation is taking place, but should we lose this battle the loss of life will be catastrophic. I am so, so sorry that you children have to experience such an event." The transmission cuts off.

 **What now?**

Go and help save lives down in Vale.

Search Beacon for your team.

Find Cinder.

Other (please specify)

 _…Or you could just let me out completely. I'll clean things up in a flash!_

 **The number is 0056**

* * *

 **0056**

 **0056 Strength in numbers. Find your team. At the very least to make sure they're all ok.**

 **0056: Find your team. You're gonna want backup regardless of what you do, and there's no guarantee that your secret will be kept even without your team to see it.**

 **0056: Go find your team! Its too dangerous to go alone!**

The other hunters can handle things down in the city, right now you need to go find your friends. You start dashing towards the fireworks display area, where they supposedly were last.

As you move through the school you come across several skirmishes between Beacon students and the Atlesian robots. You send a few shots in the direction of any robots that appear to be getting the advantage as you run past.

As you arrive at the display area, you see one of the massive Atlesian Paladin mechs ahead of you. You pull out Crescent Rose, and prepare for a fight. However, before you can attack, the mech is enveloped in a black glow, and is promptly twisted apart into scrap metal.

As the dust thrown up by its destruction clears, you see Pyrrha Nora and Ren standing amongst the wreckage of dozens of robots. Their prom outfits are ruined, and they look exhausted, but are otherwise unhurt.

"Ruby! You're okay!" Pyrrha cries happily as they run over to you. "Where were you all this time?"

"I kinda was wrapped up in my date when this all started." You say sheepishly. "Sorry guys. Are you all ok?"

"We're fine." Says Ren. "We tried to clear out as many robots as we could, but its looking like we've barely put a dent into the overall problem. Any ideas of what we should do next team leader?"

You nod. "Alright team! Here is what we're going to do next…"

Before you can tell your team what your plan of action will be, you are suddenly plunged into darkness. Gigantic black clouds, crackling with lightning, begin to form in the previously clear sky above…

"Ruby. There's a demon below us, and it's a really strong." Blake says urgently.

"Oh my god…" Says Pyrrha, in a tone that is more than a little panicked. "The lights… And then the storm coming out of nowhere… Did someone… Did someone just release The Spark?"

 **What do you do?**

A titan just got released from its seal, this battle is already lost. You need to cut your losses, run to fight another day.

We can't abandon the city now! Think of all the people whose lives are at risk! There might still be time if we go and try to stop this.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0057.**

* * *

 **0057**

 **0057: You have to stay to fight. All that is known about titans, is that they leave more devastation in their wake the longer they're left unchecked. If we run now, The Spark will simply get us later, when we're less organized, and have fewer allies.**

 **0057: You need to go over and protect as many civilians as possible, if you're lucky the Titan isn't out yet and you can seal it before it's too late.**

 **0057: Don't abandon the city!**

"We have to go and stop it." You say with grim determination. "This is what we became hunters to do after all."

"Yeah! We're with you Ruby!" Nora declares. Despite her words, she can't conceal the fear in her eyes.

You start heading in the demon's direction. At first you rely on Blake Weiss and Yang to guide you, but soon you don't need their help as you notice that the clouds are all beginning to converge over one spot over by the lake.

You arrive there, and discover a large hole that has been excavated in the middle of the lawn. As you watch, Mercury clambers out of it, followed by Cinder and a man in a bowler hat.

Mercury glowers as he sees you. "What the hell are you lot doing here." He looks like he is about to attack you, but stops as he hears a voice, crackling like electricity, coming from the hole.

"Ugh. Is this seriously the best body you could find for me?"

A final figure exits the hole. Its technically an unmutated human, but its flesh is dripping and melting even as you watch. You can't even tell what it looked like before it was possessed.

"My apologies." Says Cinder. "This is only a temporary measure until we get you to your proper body."

"Yeah well you could have at least found one that didn't start falling apart this quickly. If I hadn't just spent several centuries getting drained, this one would have already evaporated…" It pauses for a moment as it notices you. "Hey… Those guys look like they'd work a lot better. I'm going to take one of their bodies instead."

"There's no point in wasting time with them." Cinder tells it. "The ships are right over there. If you use one of them as a vessel you will be unstoppable…"

It rounds on her furiously. "Why the fuck would I want to be a boat when there are four good vessels right over there. I don't take orders for you, so just go and wait for me in the damn ship."

Cinder's eyes narrow, and for a moment it looks like she is going to argue. Eventually she nods, and turns to leave along with her other two companions.

The Spark turns to face you and your teammates. "Now then! Which one of you will it be?" He first stares directly at you. "You'd be a pretty good vessel… Oh wait… You're already… No, you won't work."

Its gaze passes over Ren ("Good," it murmurs.), then Pyrrha ("Even better!"), before alighting on Nora.

"Her. She's perfect for me. I won't need to worry about you breaking down from my power." It holds its hands out in front of it, lightening dancing across its palms. "I don't suppose you'll all just let me have her without a fight?"

Yeah as if that's going to happen.

 **Choose your battle strategy**

 **OR**

 **Complete the binding with Weiss Blake and Yang**

 **The number is 0058**

* * *

 **0058**

 **0058: Knock it into the lake! Weiss might be helpful if she finds a good opportunity to freeze the ground and make him slip.**

 **0058: We need to get him into the lake, before any of us are possessed preferably. Maybe bait him into using a powerful attack, and have Ren reflect it?**

 **0058: Attempt to push The Spark off the cliff before it can do anything. If it tries to make a move, protect your teammates so that it can't switch to their bodies.**

You quickly and quietly give your team a rundown of your plan to push the demon into the lake. Simultaneously you mentally inform Weiss of her part in it, and she slips out of your cape to take position. Hopefully your teammates don't notice her involvement, but its worth the risk.

The Spark scoffs. "I don't know what you lot are planning, but I'm not just going to let you do it!" With that, it sends two enormous bolts of lightening flying directly towards you.

For a moment you fear that the battle is about to end before it has even begun, but at the last instant the bolts curve away from you. Pyrrha, using her magnetism, levitated Miló and Akoúo̱ and used them to direct the electricity away from your bodies and into the ground.

"Go!" She cries. "I'll cover you."

You, Ren, and Nora, all charge forward. Pyrrha manages to keep the bolts from hitting you long enough for you to close the distance, but one of them slips through and strikes her. You hear her cry out, and a thump as she hits the floor, but you don't have time to stop.

You all fall upon the demon with a flurry of synchronised strikes and slashes. The fury of your attack is blunted slightly by the knowledge that its over for you if you take a single blow, but nevertheless your assault slowly forces it back towards the cliff, step by step.

It quickly catches on to your strategy. "Oh HELL no! I am not getting done in by that trick a second time!"

Its fist begins to glow as it gathers energy for a massive attack. You and Nora jump out of the way, while Ren leaps forward and catches the blow on his energy shield, attempting to send it right back at the demon. It works, and the demon is sent flying backwards by the shields counterattack, but Ren wasn't able to deflect the entire blow, and is sent down for the count.

(At least you hope he's just down for the count, you can't tell for sure.)

Weiss springs into action, creating a long path of ice towards the cliff. As The Spark lands, it begins slipping along the path towards the edge in an almost comical fashion.

"No!" It screams. "No no no no no no no no NO!" At the last 'no' it releases an enormous burst of electricity, the heat of which melts the ice, stopping it just moments before it falls off the cliff.

You charge towards it, and swing Crescent Rose in order to give it the final push off the edge…

…And The Spark catches it mid-swing by the handle, stopping you dead.

"Game over you little shit." It mutters.

With that, it slams its palm into your stomach. You feel agonizing pain as electricity lances through your body. The last thing you hear before you black out is Nora screaming in rage…

* * *

You come to. Slowly, painfully, you force yourself to look up. Nora is kneeling on the ground, battered, bloody, and defeated. The Spark stands over her. Its body has melted even further, to the point where you can see bone peeking through in several places. Its stomach has also been caved in, probably by a blow from Magnhild.

"Not bad kiddo." The Spark says. "Even if your little trinket did most of the work keeping you alive, you put up a better fight than most of the hunters I ever killed." It squats down, so its eye level with her. "But now its over, and you are mine."

It hasn't noticed that you're awake yet, and is really close to the edge of the cliff. Crescent Rose lies in the grass several metres away.

 **What do you do?**

Go for Crescent Rose and try knock it off by shooting it.

Tackle it over the cliff. Don't give it time to take over Nora.

Other

 **The number is 0059.**

* * *

**0059**

**0059: Tackle it over the cliff. If you go for Crescent Rose Spark will take Nora then you'd have to shoot her :(**

 **0059: Tackle it. We can't let it get Nora.**

 **0059: It's not likely that shooting it will have enough strength to blast it over the cliff. Tackle it off the edge!**

The Spark places its hands on Nora's head, and begins the transfer. You don't have time to get Crescent Rose, and you're sure as hell not going to let it get her. This ends now.

"I'm sorry. Blake. Weiss. Yang. This is the end."

You force your aching body to its feet, even as they scream at you in your head to stop, to not do anything stupid. You charge forward, and slam yourself into The Spark before it has a chance to realise what's going on. You both go sailing off the edge of the cliff.

You think that it said something to you. By the look on its face it was some sort of expletive, or a wordless scream of defeat. You can't really tell, as the electricity flowing through your body has already made your mind go blank from pain.

Thankfully the agony only lasts a few seconds before your entire body turns numb and unfeeling. You still manage to hold on to it though, dragging you both down…

Down…

Down…

Down…

Down…?

Wow you've been falling for a weirdly long time. It almost feels as if everything around you is being slowed down…

 _"Oh boy you've done it now."_

Its that voice again.

 _"Don't mind me, I've just slowed down your perception of time a bit so I've a chance to talk to you. Nora's fine by the way. It did manage to get a tiny little bit of itself into her, which is probably taking root in her soul as we speak, but it wasn't a big enough piece to carry over its consciousness. Her mind still entirely belongs to her."_

 _"Also: I'm pleased to say you don't have to worry about dying, as you're probably going to survive all of this. It won't be pretty though, since all this electricity being pumped through you is going to mess you up pretty badly. At the very least you'll suffer massive disfigurement, heavy damage to your nervous system, loss of fine motor skills, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I doubt you'll have any sort of career as a huntress after this, but at least you saved the city right?"_

Despite the loss of any sensation in your body, you feel it place a hand on your shoulder and draw close to your ear.

 _"…Although, I could prevent all of that. I won't even ask you for anything in exchange. All I need is your consent. Will you let me?"_

That's not even a real choice at all, but its still one that you have to make.

 **Do you agree?**

Yes No

 **The number is 0060.**

 **AN: Its not lying to you. Not this time at least.**

* * *

 **0060**

**0060: Well… Either it's game over for you and your dreams, or you can choose to trust that voice. Yes it is, then. Just hoping you won't regret it.**

 **0060: I suppose we have to. We'll cross any other bridges when we get to them.**

 **0060: Take the deal… one favour to a demon can't be THAT bad?**

You have a bad feeling about this. You don't have much choice in the matter though, so you agree.

 _"Perfect! I will need some small payment though. I did say I wouldn't take it from you though, so instead I'll be taking it from THEM!"_

With that, billions of ghostly tendrils shoot from your soul, latch on to the soul of The Spark, and slowly begin to reel it in towards you. It feels like you're being forced to hold on to the sun.

The sensation similar to what you did with Weiss earlier, only this time, rather than warm and comforting, this feels utterly wrong and repulsive on the most fundamental level.

The Spark lets out an eldritch scream, and fires a blistering counterattack down the link between you that shakes you to your very core. The voice simply laughs.

 _"Oh please. Even if you were at full strength, and weren't stuck in a decomposing body, you would still be doomed at this point."_

The Spark's rage turns into fear, and then into desperation as it realise how ineffective its attacks are. It franticly tries to pull away, to escape from the voice's grasp, but just gets pulled closer and closer, until eventually, with a final anguished scream, it gets pulled inside of you.

Then you finally hit the water, and everything goes black.

 **End of Part 2**


	18. 0061 to 0070

**0061**

You wake up to the feeling of warm earth beneath your back. You open your eyes, and see an enormous sun blazing above you. You're not sure if its really close, or just really big. In either case it should have burnt you to death by now, or at least blinded you with the way you're staring at it. Neither of those things are actually happening, so you put it out of your mind

You sit up, and look around at your surroundings. You're sitting on a path which runs through a vast garden that stretches out as far as the eye can see. You note that the garden consists of nothing but rose bushes. You like roses, but you kind of wish that whoever made this garden had added a bit more variety.

The moment you think that, a gust of wind blows through the garden, and many of the roses are transformed into other plants. Its still mostly roses, but there's more variety, and even a few strawberry bushes! You pick a few to munch on as you begin walking along the path.

There are statues placed at regular intervals on either side of the path. You quickly realise that every one of them is of someone you either know, or once knew. Your old neighbour, teachers and classmates from signal, and even the old man that runs the bakery back on Patch.

The statues of people you like, such as your dad and uncle Qrow, seemed to be better kept, whereas the statues of people you don't like, such as CRDL, are lumpy, overgrown, and broken.

You stop for a moment in front of Emeralds statue, which has a large crack running through it. As you remember what she did, and what she was a part of, more cracks form on the statue. You move on.

You pass by Winter's statue (carefully crafted out of pure white marble), and those of your teammates (Brass for Pyrrha, Jade for Ren, Pink Quartz for Nora), before reaching the ones belonging to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Unlike the other statues, which were made out of regular stone or metal, the ones belonging to Weiss Blake and Yang seem to be constructed out of their respective element. Weiss' out of ice, Yang's out of solidified fire, and Blake's out of shadow. You can't really make out any features on Blake's statue, which is possibly due to you not actually knowing what she looks like, which makes you feel kind of sad.

As you press onwards, you notice something up ahead, and break out into a sprint. You get closer, and realise that you're looking at some kind of titanic, eldritch creature. Its so indescribable and weird, that it takes you a long time to realise that a large portion of its body is missing.

You notice a person crouching down next to it. Judging from the wet ripping and chewing sounds that you can hear, the they're is busy eating the being alive.

The creature sees you, and weakly reaches an appendage out towards you.

"Please, help me. I'll return to the other world, I'll never touch another human. Just please, make her stop. I don't want to be eaten…"

The person stands up and turns around. She looks almost exactly like you, except for a few major differences. For a start, all the black of your hair and outfit has been replaced with white for her. Secondly, her teeth are razor sharp, like a shark. You get the feeling that her eyes are also different, but don't look at them on reflex, as you instinctively know that something bad would happen to you if you did.

 _"Oh! You're finally here! Come over and eat with me, there's plenty to go around."_

 **What do you say?**

 **The number is 0062.**

* * *

 **0062**

 **0062: I think I'll just stand here and watch you eat… I've gorged myself on strawberries already**

 **0062: Ask that strange girl what she's doing.**

 **0062: Politely decline the offer, you're not feeling all that hungry. Ask her about this place, and why she looks like you.**

 **0062: "Who are you? And what are you doing?" Maybe you can point out you've been taught it's rude to eat and talk at the same time to get her to stop for a bit.**

"Uh… I'll pass. I ate a bunch of strawberries on the way here."

 _"Eh, suit yourse… Wait, there are STRAWBERRIES?! Where are they?"_

"There are a bunch of them back down the path."

 _"Awesome! I'll have some later for dessert."_

Upon saying that, she rips off a head-sized chunk of flesh from the creature. Her mouth opens unnaturally wide, allowing her to swallow it whole.

"You know its kind of rude to eat while you're talking to someone," you say, feeling more than a little bit grossed out by what you just witnessed.

 _"Oh, sorry. I'll finish my meal later then."_

"What is that thing anyway?"

 _"Isn't it obvious? It's The Spark. The reason why it looks all gross and huge is because it didn't really take the time to choose a proper form for itself, so it just ended up looking like this. At least its not as bad as The Flesh, because that thing is freaking revolting."_

"Why are you eating it?"

 _"Why? Do you feel sorry for it?"_ She gives you a sharp-toothed grin. _"Its done the same thing to tons of other souls, so it deserves this. Anyway, we've technically already eaten it. What you're seeing here is more like… digestion."_

"W-what do you mean we've? Who are you? What are you? And what the heck even is this place?"

 _Her grin widens. "Can't you tell by looking at me? I'm Ruby Rose, the same as you are. I was born with you. I was named with you. I was raised with you. The only thing that makes you 'more' Ruby Rose than me is the fact that you're the one in control."_ She throws her arms wide. _"As for what this place is: its our soul. Everything that we are is stored in this place. We can do pretty much anything we want here. Just let me warn you: don't follow this path to its end. You and I aren't the only Rubys in here, and the one you'll find at the end is awfully territorial. Most of the time you won't have to worry about her though, as she's never really left that place."_

She looks upwards suddenly, and stares at the sun for a fairly long time with a faraway look on her face. Eventually she looks back at you.

 _"Hmph. It looks like you'll be waking up soon. We've got time for a few more questions though, so ask me anything you want."_

 **What do you ask?**

 **The number is 0063**

* * *

 **0063**

 **0063: Is she the voice Ruby's been hearing?**

 _"Yup! Wasn't it obvious by now?"_

 **0063: Give or take how much other "Rubys" are there? And will they be an issue in the future?**

 _"Dozens! Maybe even hundreds! None of them are like you or me though. They're all just different parts of our personality. There's one that's always happy, one that's always miserable, one that's obsessed with cookies, one that's wayyyyy too interested in Crescent Rose, and many others besides."_

Her expression grows serious. _"The one Ruby that I told you about is the one that represents the huntress part of us. She is both what we are capable of now, and what we have the potential to be in the future. She can't be reasoned with, as she can only do two things: hunt, and take orders. Someone ordered her to hunt anyone who tries to get to the core of our soul. I don't know who or what is responsible, but if you were to get past the huntress and into the core, I'm sure you would probably find out."_

She sighs. _"Its such a shame. Whoever sits in the core of the soul can control the whole thing. I'm not going to pretend that I don't want to do that."_

 **0063 Can I or any of the other Rubys die in here?**

 _"No. I can say that from experience, after getting ripped apart by the huntress so many times. I'm REALLY strong, but she is on a whole other level."_

 **0063: Are you and this other, Other Ruby some kind of personification/metaphor for the inner darkness that lies in everyone and I have to overcome you in an epic battle? Or are you just a result of that ritual, and are a demon that I have to overcome in an equally as epic battle? Oh and can you finish off Sparky over there, evil or not, kiiiiinda don't like to see people suffer.**

She puts on an expression of clearly-fake sadness. _"Oh? You want to get rid of me? To defeat me? I'm hurt by your words."_ She breaks out into her typical grin. _"You're welcome to try if you can, but when you do we'll be playing for keeps."_

"To answer your other questions: I'm not anything as cliché as 'inner darkness', but I am a demon. I wasn't made a part of you by the ritual though, I've been with you since birth."

"Also even if I wanted to put this sorry pile of goo out of its misery, I can't until I eat it completely. Honestly, what its going through right now is much less cruel than the complete oblivion that awaits it once I'm done."

The Spark whimpers in fear.

 **0063: "You're clearly a demon, though. If we're both me, am I… not completely human?"**

 _"You're the human part of us, I'm the demon part. You're the bit on the surface of our soul, which is why we haven't yet been lynched for being what we are."_

 **0063: Ask about what happens now that you have "eaten" The Spark. Do you get cool abilities?**

 _"Its adding to the power of our soul considerably, so yes, yes it will. If you ever were to tap into that power though, you would become one hundred percent demon the same as me, and we'd end up with all the humans trying to kill us, same as with the binding. If you want to do that, then I suggest doing the binding at he same time, since we may as well commit to it all the way. Of course, you might not want to erase the everything human about you, but quite frankly I don't see the point of staying attached to something as weak as your humanity."_

 _"One more thing: we won't get lightening powers, because our soul isn't the same type as The Spark's. Its like how you don't gain the ability to photosynthesise if you eat a lot of plants."_

 **0063: That Ruby in front of you looks pretty… unnatural. "Do all humans have someone like you around?"**

 _"Nope. Some of them have something similar, but you and I are unique!"_

All of a sudden you start to feel like you're dissolving.

 _"Looks like our time together is up. Do me a favour and don't tell any of the others about me? They won't understand, so its better for us both if they don't know."_

* * *

And with that, you wake up.

You're in one of the beds in the medical ward in Beacon. Nora is in the bed next to you. From the sound of her snoring, she's doing alright. Ren is sitting next to her bed, reading a newspaper. He hasn't noticed that you're awake yet. Pyrrha is nowhere to be seen.

You can sense Weiss, Yang, and Blake are currently in the room with you as well.

 **Who do you talk to first?**

Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

Ren (and Nora if she wakes up)

Neither. You still feel woozy, just go back to sleep.

 **The number is 0064.**

 **0064**

 **0064: Check in with Weiss, Blake, and Yang first.**

 **0064: Talk to Weiss, Blake, and Yang.**

 **0064: Talk to your three secret pals first, while Ren thinks you're still out of it. You're probably going to get assaulted by questions soonish, better check up on them now.**

You decide to talk to the rest of team RWBY first before pestering Ren.

"Hey guys!" You think to them. "Are you all doing alright?"

Yang responds first. "You're awake! We were starting to get a bit…"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU FOOL!" Weiss screeches in a voice that would be deafening if it weren't for the fact that it was being sent directly into your head. "DID YOU THINK YOU WERE BEING SMART? HEROIC? ALL YOU WERE DOING WAS GETTING YOURSELF KILLED

Yang tries to intervene. "Weiss, maybe calm it down a bit. Ruby's still recovering after all…"

"No Yang, Weiss is right," you say. "If I had died you would have all gotten sent back to the demon world. I wasn't just risking my own life. What I did was selfish…"

You feel a pulse of sadness from Weiss "No! That's not what I meant at all. I just… didn't want to lose you…"

That doesn't make you feel any better.

"It would have been nice if you took a moment to tell us what you were about to do." Blake adds. "I would have caught you before you fell if it weren't for how tightly you were holding on to The Spark."

"Uh, whoops." You say sheepishly. "I'll try to communicate more in the future."

"By the way, something really weird happened." Says Yang. "As you were falling, The Spark just kind of vanished. We haven't been able to detect a single trace of him since then. Lets hope that its gone for good."

 **It doesn't sound like they think you had anything to do with it. Should you come clean?**

Honesty is the best policy.

Do as the other Ruby said, and keep it quiet.

 **Also, is there anything else you have to say/ask them before you talk to Ren?**

 **The number is 0065**

* * *

 **0065**

 **0065: Full disclosure, with them at least. They're bound to you, so it's only fair to let them know.**

 **0065: Tell them about your demon half. You need someone to confide in about her, and they are your most trusted friends at this point.**

 **0065 Be honest. I don't think there's any reason not to. It's not like you chose to have her inside you, and you didn't really have a choice in agreeing to it there.**

You decide that better to be honest.

"Guys. I have something to tell you all…"

You give them a full explanation about the other Ruby.

"So wait, let me get this straight." Says Yang after you finished. "There's another demon version of you sitting in your soul, it says that its been with you from birth, and it freaking ATE a titan."

"That's pretty much it."

"Wow. Maybe I'm a bit of a hypocrite for saying this, but that's kind of screwed up."

"I didn't notice it at all." Says Blake. "I'm looking for it now, but I can't sense any foreign souls inside of yours. Aside from the bits of ours obviously."

"We'll keep a closer eye on you in the future." Says Weiss. "If we notice anything funny going on in your soul, we'll tell you immediately."

"Yeah! Don't worry about her doing any sneaky weirdness while we're on the job!" Yang declares.

You hope that this doesn't annoy the other Ruby too much.

Having nothing else left to say to them for now, you decide to let Ren know that you're conscious.

"Hey Ren." You say. Your tongue feels heavy, and its hard to speak. "Howth thingth going?"

He looks up from his paper with a start.

"Ruby! You're awake! How are you doing?"

"I can't move, and my whole body feelth numb."

"That makes sense considering all the stuff they pumped into you to help with the pain."

"Are you guys all doing all right? Wereth Pyrrha?"

"We're all doing fine. I got away with just a minor concussion. Pyrrha received some scarring when she was hit, but is fine otherwise. You and Nora were the only ones who were seriously injured, you especially, but the doctors tell me that you're both going to make a complete recovery. Pyrrha is out getting us lunch. Ever since she woke up Nora's been craving cheese for some weird reason, so we're having pizza."

"Oh great, I'm thtarving!"

Ren chuckles. "Not surprising since you've been fed through a tube in your arm for the past week." His smile fades, and he gets a strange look on his face. "Ruby… If you hadn't done what you did, Nora wouldn't be here right now." He starts to have trouble speaking, having gotten a little choked up. "You saved her. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

 ***+1500 Ren points** *

You give him the best smile you can manage right now. "No problem Ren. We're teammates after all."

 **What do you do now?**

Call your dad

Call Winter

Wait for Pyrrha to get back

Ask Ren if you can check the newspaper. See how bad the attack was for Vale.

There will be time to talk when you're better. Just rest for now.

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0066.**

 **AN: Surprisingly even in terms of whether or not to tell WBY about anti-Ruby. But honesty just barely won out.**

* * *

 **0066**

 **0066: Call Winter. Your date was kinda cut short. And I imagine she's worried about you.**

You decide to call Winter, since she's probably worried sick about you. You search around for your scroll, eventually finding it in a drawer of the cabinet next to your bed. It still works, despite the fact that you had it on you during your trip into the lake. You're going to have to thank dad for investing the extra 200 lien in getting a scroll with waterproofing and increased durability.

You select Winter on your contact list. The scroll rings twice before she picks up.

"This had better be important." She says curtly.

"Uh sorry. If this is a bad time then I can call back later…"

"Ruby? You're awake?" Her tone shifts completely. "Oh I'm so sorry. I'll be over there right away, just let me finish up here."

"Okay, see you then," you try to say, but she hung up too quickly. She sounded really stressed. Not surprising, considering how hard she must have to be working after the incident that just occurred.

 **0066: Ask if Ren will read to you for a little bit.**

 **0066: CHECK NEWSPAPER FOR OTHER TITANS TO MUNCH**

You decide to see what's going on in the news. You doubt that you're going to find any information on the other titans in there though. Where the heck did that sudden desire to eat another one of them come from anyway? You hope that the other Ruby isn't influencing your thoughts.

You ask Ren to read the paper to you.

"There's nothing much going on in the paper today. If you want though, I can catch you up on everything that happened while you were out."

You tell him that that sounds good.

"Right. Well I'll get the depressing stuff out of the way first. The demons that got into the city were all possessed humans, who were trying to create as much chaos as possible in order to give Cinder's group time to release The Spark. Since they weren't Grimm, they weren't out to just kill everybody in sight, but over three thousand people still ended up dying, and way more were injured or… worse. By now, all the demons involved in the attack are either dead, or captured for interrogation."

"The robots caused less trouble. Apparently the programming that prevented them from attacking civilians conflicted with whatever the hackers used to get them to attack us, causing them to be way less effective in combat than they normally would have been. As a result, no one who was up in Beacon during the attack died. Up in Atlas things are getting really rough, since every single Atlesian politician is trying to pin responsibility on everyone else. You'll have to ask someone else about the details though."

"Cinder flew off in one of the battleships. We have no clue where she's hiding, or how she managed to hack the robots or get so many demons into Vale."

"Finally, I'm sure you're wandering what happened to The Spark. For some reason, it just completely disappeared after you both went off the cliff. Either its hiding itself extremely well, or its gone back to the demon world."

Or it got eaten by an alternate personality of yours, but you keep that to yourself.

"The teachers arrived just after your fall. Nora explained to them everything that happened, and then Miss Goodwitch dove right off the cliff in order to fish you out of the lake."

Wow. You'll have to thank Miss Goodwitch when you next see her.

"The teachers all agreed to keep our involvement with the titan a secret for our sake, but the story got out. On the one hand, we're heroes, but on the other, I haven't been able to set foot out of Beacon in the past week because of the media trying to stalk us.

"Wow… That's…" You're not sure how to feel about that.

 **What now?**

Sit and wait for Pyrrha and Winter to arrive (Also include anything you want Ruby to say to them if you have anything. This bit is not compulsory though.)

Call your father (same as above)

See if Uncle Qrow will pick up his scroll for a change (same as above)

Call that reporter you met once, and see if you can get what the media is saying about you under control

Other (please specify)

 **The number is 0067.**

 **AN: The news only barely won out over calling Winter. I decided to compromise slightly.**

* * *

 **0067**

 **0067: Call your dad! he must be worried sick right now**

 **0067: Call your father. He's probably tearing his hair out in worry.**

 **0067: Call your father. He's also probably worried sick about you.**

You select dad on your scroll contact list. It only rings once before he picks up.

"Ruby, is that you? Are you ok?"

"Yeah dad, its me. I'm fine." You notice that you're having a slightly easier time talking now.

"Oh thank god. You had me so worried…" He sighs. "You're just like your mother, constantly risking your life for others. I know that telling you to stop won't change anything, but… Please don't make me bury you."

You feel a stab of guilt. "I'm sorry dad. I don't want to die either, but I didn't have a choice."

"Yeah, I know. I probably would have done the same in your position. In any case, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. Things have been really hectic. Every single hunter is working overtime in order to help get Vale back into shape. Then there's also the fact that you've become famous pretty much overnight. I've had to turn down two merchandising deals in the past day alone."

"Wow, is it really that bad?"

"You beat a Titan. Even if it was weakened, even if it was mostly dumb luck that did it, what you did is still the kind of thing they write legends about. Its going to be hard to make this all go away. Sorry Rubes. Anyway, I'm on the clock right now so I've got to go. I'll come visit you later alright?"

"Ok. Bye dad."

You hang up just seconds before Pyrrha walks in the room, holding three pizza boxes.

"I've got the pizza." She happily declares, before gasping when she sees that you're awake. "Ruby, you're awake!"

Suddenly, Nora shoots up, awake at last. "I smell pizza! Is it here?" Then she spots you. For a second she just stares at you, and then abruptly bursts into tears.

"Nora what's wrong?" You ask her.

She chokes out a sentence between sobs. "Ruby… I was… so worried… you… were… dead!"

Ren pats her on the back. "There there, just let it all out." He turns to you. "Don't worry, she's just happy that you're ok."

"We were all really worried about you." Says Pyrrha. "I'm thankful that you're ok."

 ***Pyrrha and Nora appreciate what you did. +750 Pyrrha points. +1000 Nora points** *

After a while, Nora settles down again, and you all tuck in to the pizza that Pyrrha brought. Its not long before Winter also enters the room.

"Ruby are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Winter. I don't think I'll need much more time in here before I'll be able to leave.

"Oh, that's a relief. Well then…" She steps forward, and proceeds to slap you on the head. "What the hell were you thinking you fool." She hisses furiously. "Did you think you were being smart? Heroic? All you were doing was getting yourself killed!"

You're getting a strong sense of déjà vu from this. You guess that she and Weiss truly are sisters.

"Sorry Winter. Its not like I had much of a choice though…"

"I understand that they were extreme circumstances, but to do something as reckless as throw yourself off a cliff… I was so worried about you."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll never risk my life like that again"

She sighs. "I know that's a lie. We're both huntresses. Risking our lives is in the job description." Her lips quirk upwards into a slight smile "Even so, I forgive you."

You nod, sombrely. "Oh, by the way Winter…"

 **What do you say? (pick one)**

"Our first date was kind of ruined. Can I make up for it with another one?"

"Is there anything you can do to deal with all this media attention?"

"My friend, the one I watched the fireworks with, would like to meet you. Would you be ok with it if I introduced you two once I'm a bit better?"

Other (please specify what you'd like her to say)

 **The number is 0068.**

 **AN: Poor Winter. She's lost pretty much every single person she cared about, and she almost lost Ruby too. It was pretty rough on her.**

* * *

 **0068**

 **0068: "Our first date was kind of ruined. Can I make up for it with another one?"**

 **0068 Considering the kind of relationship we have with Winter I think we should tell her soon, not much destroys a relationship faster than secrets, but not before talking it through with Weiss. Ask her on a date. Maybe we can tell her then.**

"…everything that happened kind of ruined our first date, so can I have another to make up for it?"

Winter smiles. "Certainly. It will be a while before I can find time in my schedule, but I'll let you know when I can make time."

"Great!" You say to her with a smile. As you do so, you also initiate a silent conversation with Weiss. "Hey Weiss, I think we should use the next date as an opportunity to tell her about you."

"I don't know…" She responds apprehensively. "Are you sure she won't react badly?"

"Nope. But I don't think keeping her a secret from you for too long will be a good idea. I'll only tell her if you're ok with it though."

"…I'll think about it."

All of a sudden you start to feel quite woozy. Ren, Pyrrha, and Winter, all leave the ward in order to let you and Nora rest and recover.

* * *

Nora is discharged a day later, and you get discharged two days after that. You're forced to train twice as hard in order to regain your lost muscle mass, but before long you're back into the swing of things.

And so, for a time, your normal days resume.

 **Choose an event. (3 time slots until minor plot event. 6 Before major plot event.)**

Rally (Velvet)

Sleepwalking (Nora)

Incognito (Pyrrha)

Recollection (Blake)

Home (Yang)

Friends (Penny)

Outfit (Coco)

Other (something else you think Ruby should do in Vale)

 **The number is 0069**

 **AN: *Insert immature 69 joke here***

* * *

 **0069**

 **0069: Recollection. Blake needs some development. Poor girl remembers nothing but her name :/**

 **0069: Recollection. it's about time we learn more about Blake**

 **0069 Recollection. We still know so little about Blake compared to Weiss and Yang.**

While out on your morning jog, you discover that someone had sprayed a White Fang symbol on one of the fountains on Beacon's grounds.

Weiss scoffs. "Typical White Fang. Why can't they do something productive with their existence rather than defacing other people's property."

"I must admit, doing something like this is completely unnecessary given that Beacon is already a vocal supporter of faunus rights. Though, sometimes vandalism was the only way we could get the message across to discriminatory property owners."

"You say that like you were one of them."

"…That's because I was."

"You were a terrorist!?" Exclaims Weiss in horror.

"We were not terrorists! The only illegal actions performed were by the police, and your fathers security teams, in the violent breaking up of our protests! Well… things were escalating a bit up to my death, but we never stooped to the level of our oppressors!"

"Do you remember how you ended up joining them?" You ask out of curiosity.

"I was a faunus. Joining up with one group or another was pretty much a requirement for survival." She sighs. "I don't remember my parents. I don't think I ever knew them, even when I did have all my memories. I was raised in the Fang, they were my family. Our leader was…" She lets out a pained groan. "…I still can't remember anything about them. They were a good person though, I know that much, and believed in a future where human and faunus could live together as equals."

"And then he died," added Weiss, "and the White Fang were taken over by a new leader."

"Yes. His name was Adam, and he was…" Blake hesitated for a long time. "…A good friend of mine. His methods were more militant, but they started to work. By performing the very actions that had been inflicted upon us for so long, we finally seemed to be speaking in a language that our oppressors could understand. Until…"

"Until what?" You urge her on, riveted by her story.

"…Until I was killed. Mercenaries, working for the Schnee company, attacked us while we were camping as part of a sit-in protest. I was kidnapped, along with a lot of the other members of the Fang. They took us to… to…" She groans again. "I can't remember what happened next. But the next thing that I do remember is waking up in the other world, so they must have done it. My death was caused by the Schnee company!"

"Do you have any proof of that?" Asks Weiss.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Blake snaps back.

"No. Winter said that my father went off the rails after my death, so this fits in with her story. But you don't actually remember being killed, or anything that conclusively confirms that they were working for my father. Until we find something concrete, we shouldn't jump to any conclusions. However, if it turns out that your story is true, I will support you fully in bringing my father to justice."

"That's… fair." Blake relents. "Thank you Weiss."

"Of course. We're… friends after all, aren't we? I'm not just going to dismiss your word. And… I'm sorry about the terrorist comment. I've never really thought about it from their point of view."

 ***Blake shared some of her past with you. +100 Blake points***

 **Choose an event. (2 time slots until minor plot event. 5 Before major plot event.)**

Rally (Velvet)

Sleepwalking (Nora)

Incognito (Pyrrha)

Home (Yang)

Friends (Penny)

Outfit (Coco)

The titans (Lore) *NEW*

Other (something else you think Ruby should do in Vale)

 **The number is 0070**

* * *

 **0070**

 **0070: the Titans. Time to learn a bit more about your next snack!**

 **0070: Titan lore might help you out next time as well.**

 **0070: Let's hear about dem titans**

Once again, its time for history class with Doctor Oobleck.

"Good afternoon students! Last lesson we concluded our time examining the war against The Spark. Today, we will begin our lessons on The Flesh, and The King, the other two titans that we have documentation on. Our war against these two titans is considerably less well documented, on account of the widespread devastation they caused, as well as the fact that they came into this world five and ten thousand years ago respectively."

"The Flesh came in to our world approximately five thousand years ago. Arguably, it came closer to destroying our society than the other two combined. You see, as its name would suggest, it held power over flesh. It could mould and reshape any creature into any form that pleased it, and it used those powers to create an army of monstrosities. No hunter could even approach it, as they would just become material for its next creation. In the end, some form of magical superweapon, lost to time, was used to annihilate The Flesh's physical form, allowing it to be sealed away somewhere without further loss."

"The true horror of The Flesh arguably came afterwards, as although they were liberated from its control, its victims could not be restored to their original forms. Those who had lost their sanity were put out of their misery. Those who kept their minds intact were re-integrated into society, but lived short lives on account of their mutation, and were almost always sterile. The only exception to this was those few who escaped with relatively little alteration. These individuals are known today as faunus."

"Next, we have The King. Its power was to gain dominion over the minds of others, but not through simple control. It could subtly influence the minds of its victims so that they would believe that they wanted to serve it, that by doing so they would find true joy. When its defeat finally came, through means that have been lost to time, nearly half the worlds population had been taken under its control. These people had been so utterly broken by its control, that even after The King's defeat they no longer had any will of their own. They could only survive by following the commands of another, which resulted in an age of slavery that only ended on account of The Flesh."

"That concludes our introduction to this part of the course. Now, please turn your books to page…" He stops as he notices that Pyrrha has raised her hand. "Yes miss Nikos?"

"What about The Star?" She asks. "You haven't brought it up at all."

"Ah! My apologies, it completely slipped my mind. You see, although The Star is always named as one of the four titans we know of, we are actually not certain of its existence. All we have to go on is a single legend, which I will give you a quick summary of."

He takes a sip of his Coffee before continuing. "The legend states, that in the early days of humanity, when we were only beginning to learn the secrets of fire and steel, The Star tore its way into our world. This alone signifies that it was significantly greater than the other three titans, as they all needed to be brought into this world through sacrifice. Humanity was incapable of putting up any real resistance, and so it was able to freely begin reshaping the world as it saw fit. One day however, a lone woman challenged it to single combat. The Star, confident in its omnipotence, accepted. Exactly what occurred during that fateful battle has been lost to time, but needless to say none of us would be here had The Star claimed victory. Ever since then, the woman has been considered the first huntress to ever have existed."

"Truly an inspiring legend is it not? You all walk in the footsteps of that legendary huntress, as well as every great hunter that followed her. Now then, if you will all turn to page 253, we will begin the main portion of our lesson…"

 **Choose an event. (1 time slots until minor plot event. 4 Before major plot event.)**

Rally (Velvet)

Sleepwalking (Nora)

Incognito (Pyrrha)

Home (Yang)

Friends (Penny)

Other (something else you think Ruby should do in Vale)

 **The number is 0071**


End file.
